Charleston Southern University takes 25% off tuition for active and retired first responders and public safety personnel who enroll in its bachelor’s or master’s criminal justice degrees or its master’s in public safety management. Both the criminal justice program page and the public safety management page print the offer, and the degrees are offered online or on campus.
Charleston Southern is in Charleston, South Carolina. This isn’t a university-wide discount: it’s tied to criminal justice and public safety programs, so the first question is whether your degree is one of them. The school’s news release says it raised the discount from 20% to 25%, and both the release and the program pages print 25%.
How To Get The Charleston Southern University First Responder Discount
- Choose a bachelor’s or master’s criminal justice degree, or the graduate public safety management program.
- Complete all of the admission requirements for that program.
- Submit your employment ID card or other proof of employment. The release says applicants must do this to qualify.
- Pick online or on campus. The page says the degrees are offered both ways.
- Contact the school at [email protected] or 843-863-7000 and ask how they apply the discount to your account.
The pages don’t name a separate application for the discount. Ask admissions how it’s recorded.
Who Qualifies, In The School’s Words
The program pages say active and retired first responders and public safety personnel, followed by a parenthetical that reads certified or sworn local, state and federal officers. The offer reaches nationwide, so you don’t have to live in South Carolina. The pages don’t spell out whether firefighters, EMTs, paramedics or dispatchers are included beyond the first responders heading, and they don’t mention spouses or children. If you’re not a sworn officer, ask admissions in writing whether your role counts.
Which Programs The Offer Covers
The release says it covers people enrolling in a bachelor’s or master’s criminal justice degree or the graduate public safety management program after 6/1. That’s an enrollment cutoff as the release prints it, so if you started earlier, ask whether the 25% applies to you.
The master’s in public safety management can be completed in 18 months, with 33 credit hours for the thesis track or 36 for the non-thesis option. The program page lists the graduate application, official transcripts from all institutions attended, a resume, and official GRE or MAT scores, with an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 allowed as a substitute. That page says public safety management is essential to jobs in law enforcement, corrections, criminal justice, fire science, emergency medical services, crime scene technology and public administration.
What The Pages Don’t Say
The pages print no rule on stacking with scholarships or other aid, and no per-credit price for the discounted tuition. The news release is dated 3/25 and is the only place the 6/1 enrollment line appears. The financial aid, scholarship and military pages we checked don’t mention the discount, so the program pages are where it lives. Ask the financial aid office what the discount does to your aid package before you commit.
Q&A
Q: How much is the discount?
A: The program pages print a 25% First Responders/Public Safety Tuition Discount.
Q: Do retirees qualify?
A: Yes. The pages say active and retired first responders and public safety personnel.
Q: Can I use it for an online degree?
A: Yes. The pages say on-campus or online, and the criminal justice page says the degree is available fully online or in a traditional classroom.
Q: What proof does the school want?
A: Your employment ID card or other proof of employment, once the admission requirements are done.
Q: Does it cover any degree?
A: No. The pages name bachelor’s and master’s criminal justice degrees and the graduate public safety management program.
Q: Want to compare another school?
A: Our Liberty University page covers another one.
More Information:
Charleston Southern can change its terms, so read the program page before you apply. For more ways to save, browse our money discounts. You can also see it alongside other options in How First Responders Can Save Thousands on College Tuition: The Best Schools Offering Tuition Discounts.