Mathematics at Charleston Southern University

Charleston Southern's mathematics program carries an estimated $21,750 in debt—close to both state and national norms—while comparable bachelor's programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $48,772. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.45 is manageable by conventional standards, meaning graduates would owe less than half their first year's salary. The math roughly works: even on a standard repayment plan, monthly loan payments would consume a reasonable chunk of early-career income without becoming crushing.

What complicates the picture is that these figures come entirely from peer programs rather than Charleston Southern's own outcomes. The school's 35% Pell grant population and 1056 average SAT suggest a different student profile than flagship universities like USC or Clemson, where reported math graduate earnings hover in the same $47,500-$50,000 range. Whether Charleston Southern's graduates match those outcomes depends heavily on factors the data can't capture: internship networks, alumni connections in Charleston's job market, and how well students leverage their degree into teaching, analytics, or tech roles.

The borrowing level itself isn't alarming—it's typical for South Carolina math programs. The question is whether this particular school's graduates achieve the earnings that would make that debt reasonable. Without actual outcome data, you're relying on faith that Charleston Southern performs similarly to the national median. That's not unreasonable, but it's also not guaranteed. If the career services office can show where recent math graduates landed jobs and at what salaries, that would tell you far more than these estimates can.