| 1770 |
College of Charleston founded. |
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| 1785 |
College of Charleston chartered. |
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| 1790 |
Classes begin at the College of Charleston. |
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| 1794 |
First graduating class (six students). |
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| 1828 |
The cornerstone is laid for Randolph Hall, the College's main academic building. |
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1837 |
College of Charleston becomes the first municipal college in the United States. |
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| 1855 |
Construction begins on the first campus library (now known as Towell Library). |
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| 1857 |
The Cistern is constructed as a reservoir to provide water for fighting fires in the days before the city installed a water system. It was later filled in and covered with grass. Each year in May, a stage is temporarily built over the Cistern to seat the graduating class during the spring commencement. |
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| 1864 |
Charleston is under siege during the Civil War. The College of Charleston closes. |
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| 1866 |
Classes resume. |
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| 1888 |
Establishment of College of Charleston Alumni Association |
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| 1900 |
President Harrison Randolph introduces the bachelor of science degree. |
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| 1904 |
Pi Kappa Phi founded (now a national fraternity with more than 125 active chapters). |
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| 1917 |
Women are admitted to the College. |
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| 1922 |
Pierrine St. Claire Smith Byrd becomes the first female graduate. |
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| 1967 |
College of Charleston admits its first African-American students. |
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| 1970 |
College of Charleston is incorporated into the S.C. State College System. |
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| 1971 |
Robert Scott Small Library opens (holding capacity of 500,000 volumes). |
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| 1975 |
The College completes the Grice Marine Laboratory on James Island; the laboratory serves as the center for the marine biology curriculum. |
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| 1978 |
The Simons Center for the Arts, home to the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art and the School of the Arts, opens. |
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| 1985 |
The Avery Research Center for African-American History and Culture opens. |
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| 1990 |
College of Charleston is one of six colleges chosen to serve as a space research facility and partner with NASA. |
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| 1992 |
College of Charleston formally establishes The Graduate School of the College of Charleston. |
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| 2005 |
The College opens two new facilities: the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, with a holding capacity of 1 million volumes; and the Beatty Center, home to the School of Business and Economics. |
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| 2009 |
Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts opens |
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| 2010 |
School of Sciences and Mathematics Building opens |
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| 2012 |
1,665 students receive degrees at May Commencement |
