Class of 2020 Freshman Profile

While every class is unique, this year’s incoming students in the Class of 2020 have an extra special claim to fame: Their graduation year will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the College of Charleston. That’s our sestercentennial or sesquibicentennial anniversary for you linguists.

But that celebration is still four years away. Until then, here’s how the Class of 2020 shapes up.

Class of 2020: By the Numbers*

2,384 Number of freshmen

41 Number of states represented, along with Washington D.C. and overseas military bases.

10 Number of states that are home to 50 or more students (South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Georgia)

10 Number of countries represented.

119 Number of students from one state other than South Carolina (North Carolina).

7,791 Number of miles traveled to the College by the student who lives farthest away (Mohali Punjab, India).

35 Highest ACT Score

1560 Highest SAT Score

6.22 Highest GPA

957 Number of high schools represented.

Class of 2020: A Closer Look

Most common female students’ names: Hannah, Emily, Caroline

Most common male students’ names: William, Michael, John

Top names that males and females share: Taylor, Jordan, Bailey

Most popular birth month: August (219 students)

Most popular birthdate: 2/19/1998 (16 students)

Largest South Carolina feeder high schools: Wando HS (87), James Island Charter HS (39), West Ashley HS (31), Blythewood HS (28), Fort Dorchester HS (27), Mauldin HS (24), Waccamaw HS (24), Ashley Ridge (22), Nation Ford HS (22), St. James HS (22), Charleston County School of the Arts (21), Summerville HS (20)

Largest out-of-state feeder high schools: Myers Park HS, N.C. (6), Ardrey Kell HS, N.C. (5), Berkeley Preparatory School, Fla. (5), Charlotte Catholic HS, N.C. (5), Charlotte Christian School, N.C. (5), Middletown HS South, N.J. (5), Norfolk Academy, Va. (5), Salesinum School, Del. (5), Suffield Academy, Conn (5)

Most popular South Carolina ho metowns: Charleston (102), Mount Pleasant (100), Columbia (74), Summerville (74), Myrtle Beach (54), Greenville (51), Fort Mill (42), Spartanburg (39), Lexington (38), Rock Hill (36), Simpsonville (35)

Most popular out-of-state hometowns: Charlotte, N.C. (26), Atlanta, Ga. (12), Wilmington, Del. (10), Washington, D.C. (9), Mooresville, N.C. (9), New York, N.Y. (9), Potomac, Md. (8), Memphis, Tenn. (7), Alexandria, Va. (7), Bethesda, Md. (6), Raleigh, N.C. (6), Austin, Texas (6)

Some of the countries represented include: Aruba, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Germany, Greece, India, Netherlands and Trinidad and Tobago.

13 sets of twins

Most popular intended majors: biology (317), undecided (304), business administration (248), psychology (145), communication (109), marketing (85), exercise science (78), marine biology (73), international business (71), political science (70)

Class of 2020: Academic Profile*

The middle 50 percent of freshmen enrolled for fall 2016:

Scored between 1010-1200 ( in-state) and 1040-1180 (out-of-state) on the SAT

Scored between 22-27 (in-state) and 24-28 (out-of-state) on the ACT.

Had a GPA between 3.806 and 4.454 (S.C. Uniform Grading Scale), 3.252 and 3.957 (weighted) or 3.05 and 3.618 (unweighted).

13 In-state Valedictorians

16 In-state Salutatorians

4 Out-of-state Valedictorians

2 Out-of-state Salutatorians

129 Palmetto Fellows

2 Colonial Scholars

Read more interesting facts about the Class of 2020 in the Beloit Mindset List.

Honors College: Class of 2020 Academic Profile*

193 Total number of freshman

1290 Average SAT

31 Average ACT

4.49 Average GPA weighted

99 Number of in-state students

94 Number of out-of-state students

10 International Scholars

Honors College: William Aiken Fellows Society Profile*

The William Aiken Fellows Society is a group of highly capable students who have the potential to successfully pursue national and international opportunities reserved for top scholars. Throughout their college careers, William Aiken Fellows work closely with the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and participate in numerous programs designed to create leadership opportunities, enrich their academic experience and prepare them for graduate work and beyond.

29 Total number of students

1465 Average SAT Score

32 Average ACT Score

4.86 Average GPA weighted

1 Huge Scholar

10 Swanson Scholars

16 Number of in-state students

13 Number of out-of-state students

Read class profiles from previous years on the Freshman Class Profile webpage.

* This information is provisional and should not be considered official data.