Charleston

Charleston is number 68 on the overall ranking of US business schools. The Charleston-based school is known for its high placement rates for its graduates and local community engagement. The school’s focus on building a network within the Charleston and broader South Carolina business communities is a key advantage for its graduates. Affordability is another key facet, due in part to its one-year length. That garners positives reactions from graduates. One recently wrote that what they like best is “the condensed nature of the program. It can be overwhelming at times but you are able to absorb a lot of material in a short amount of time.”

Of the five indexes this ranking is based on — Compensation, Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship and Inclusion — Charleston ranked 17th in Inclusion, 62nd in Entrepreneurship, 66th in Compensation, 69th in Learning and 70th in Networking. Index scores are based on student and alumni survey responses as well as salary data the school reports to MBA CSEA.

Index Ranks

Index Scores

Student Population

The breakdown below is compared with other US schools. Collected gender and non-binary data is for all students in the newest class, which for most schools is the Class of 2026. Charleston reported 51% male and 49% female/non-binary.

Bloomberg also collects data on race and ethnicity from US schools — they provide us with percentages of the first-year class of American students for the following groups: White, Black, Asian, American Indian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic (of any race). These groups are categorized as such by the schools when submitting data to the federal government.

Hires by Industry

Charleston sent the majority of its recent MBA graduates, those with jobs, into Transportation & Logistic Services, Financial Services and Technology Industry.

Compensation by Industry

The median base salary across all industries reported by Charleston graduates is $71,000; the median signing/starting bonus is $6,250.

Demographics

Survey respondents weigh in on their school’s population, answering broad questions about what campus life is like for female, LGBTQ, and minority students.