First professional · Charleston, South Carolina

Is Law at Charleston School of Law worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 10.8 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $69,225; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $78,800; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $132,332; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $140k (likely $140k – $140k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $22k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in SC; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 10.8 years (likely 9.0–13.6); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$270k (likely −$345k – −$202k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $12k (likely −$129k – $172k); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.