How many students does the College of Charleston have?
The College of Charleston undergraduate enrollment is 9,923 and the graduate student enrollment is 1393. In addition, the College of Charleston has over 200 international students from 72 foreign countries.

When may I visit?
The Office of Admissions offers campus tours M-F while school is in session. Saturday tours are offered on select dates. Please see our Visiting Campus page for Open House dates and to schedule a campus tour.

What is the average SAT/ACT scores?
The College accepts the SAT and/or the ACT; please visit the student profile to see average scores.

What grade point average do I need to get in?
There is not a minimum GPA required for admission. However, admission is competitive and most students admitted by the College of Charleston have a high school unweighted GPA in the A/B range with a strong college-prep curriculum. (A slightly higher profile is required of out-of-state students.) For more information visit our student profile.

How long until I find out if I am accepted?
Students that apply for Early Notification (have a completed application by November 1) will receive a decision postmarked by December 22. Early Notification is a non-binding process. Students that apply during our Regular Admissions process (November 2 - February 1) will receive decisions postmarked by April 1. We encourage all students to apply during our Early Notification phase.

How do I apply for scholarships?
Students who apply by December 1 are automatically considered for academic scholarships. We encourage all students that want to be considered for academic scholarships to apply during the Early Notification process.

How safe is the campus?
The College of Charleston is located in an urban setting. Our campus is historically significant and host to numerous visitors who come to enjoy the beauty and architecture. We encourage all members of the campus community to use common sense and practice personal safety at all times. A campus safety escort service is available as well as emergency call boxes, which are strategically places in forty-three locations across campus. Copies of the annual security report containing campus security policies and procedures as well as crime statistics are available at both Student Affairs and Public Safety.

What do I do about parking?
Because campus is situated in the middle of an urban area, it can be difficult and expensive to park. Fortunately, because of the location, it is not necessary to have a car and CARTA bus service is available free of charge to students. Freshmen who have less than 30 semester hours of college work are not eligible for campus parking. The Auxiliary Services Office 843.953.7834 does provide listings of off-campus parking spaces available to students.

What percentages of students are male/female at the College of Charleston?
Approximately 60% of our students are female and 40% are male.

When will I receive housing information?
Once a student is accepted, he/she will receive information about housing from the office of Residence Life and Housing. The deadline to deposit to guarantee housing is May 1.

How much is tuition?
Visit the Treasurer's website for information about tuition.

How many of my transfer credits will you accept?
The maximum number of transfer credits acceptable towards a College of Charleston degree is 92 semester hours from all four-year institutions attended and 60 semester hours are the maximum from all two-year colleges attended. When a student has attended both two- and four-year institutions, the maximum credits applicable towards a College of Charleston undergraduate degree remain in place: 92 maximum with no more than 60 from all two-year colleges attended in that total. Transferable credits in excess of these limits will be placed in the student’s reserve transfer credit listing. Official, sealed transcripts from the awarding college/university must be mailed to the College of Charleston. Transfer credits earned ten or more years prior to enrollment at the College must be evaluated and revalidated by the appropriate department to be applicable to graduation credit.

What do I do about parking?
Because the campus is situated in the middle of an urban area, it can be difficult and expensive to park. Fortunately, because of the location it is not necessary to have a car. Only students with 30 or more hours are eligible to apply for campus parking. Contact Parking Services to apply for a permit. The Parking Services Office (843) 953-7834 does provide listings of off-campus parking spaces available to students. Students are encouraged to use the CARTA bus service (free to College of Charleston students) when feasible.

When and how do I register for classes?
New students are advised and register for classes during orientation. Returning students register on-line during the assigned pre-registration period based on hours earned.

Do I need to have 30 hours earned before I can transfer? I will have 30 hours or more at the end of my currently enrolled semester.
No, a transfer student may apply at any time. If you do not have 30 earned hours at time of application, then we will ask you to submit your high school transcripts and SAT or ACT test scores for review. A student with 30 earned hours or more will be reviewed solely on their college performance. If you are enrolled in a 2 year Associate Degree program, the program does not have to be completed before you can be considered for transfer.

Are there any courses I am required to have already taken before I apply as a transfer student?
There are no identified courses that must be taken. If your intention is to transfer to CofC, you may request for pre-transfer advising to ensure you are enrolled in or planning to enroll in courses that will transfer and be relevant to your intended major. College level academic coursework is expected at a two or four-year college/university.

Do high school AP/IB credits count towards my 30 hours?
Yes. Equivalencies are available here. You will need to have your scores from these exams sent to be awarded any applicable transfer credit.

Do you accept transfer credit from military and/or life experience?
The College of Charleston does not issue credit for military work converted to college credits or credit for life experience.We do accept some CLEP/DANTES test scores.

Do courses that will not transfer to CofC still count toward my attempted hours of transfer coursework? Yes. In evaluating your application, the Admissions Committee is looking for attempted college level course work. Remedial and applied coursework taken will be considered; yet our focus will be on transferable academic courses.

It’s been over 10 years since I last attended college, will these courses still be considered for transfer credit?
Yes, yet the coursework must be evaluated and revalidated by the appropriate department to be applicable for credit toward a CofC undergraduate degree.

I attended college years ago and do not want to submit that particular transcript to be looked at by the Admissions Committee. Is this possible?
Students do have to list every college at which you enrolled, regardless of dates of attendance or academic performance. Failure to identify all institutions is cause for denial or dismissal.

I’ve attended more than one college and have transferred before. My credits from all the other colleges are posted on my current college transcript. Do I have to have them all resent to you again?
Yes, students are responsible for requesting that all official transcripts from each college attended be sent to the CofC, ATTN: Office of Admissions, Charleston SC 29424. If you are returning to CofC as a transfer student and coursework has already been evaluated and posted from a previous academic institution, you may not be required to re-submit those transcripts.

How will I know which credits I’ve taken will transfer?
All transfer students who are offered admissions will have an official transcript evaluation completed after an offer is made. If courses taken have never been evaluated before, we will have the appropriate Academic Department determine content for transfer credit. If needed, you may be asked to supply a course catalog or syllabus. The transfer admission counselors may be able to give you an unofficial transfer analysis to assist you in pre-transfer course selections.

Is there a minimum number of classes I must take at CofC in order to earn a degree there?
Yes. Students need a minimum of 122 credit hours to graduate. You must complete 30 hours in residency at CofC.

I put my intended major on my application, why does it show me as “undecided” when I check Cougar Trail?
All new students enter CofC as an undecided major. Once you have attended an Orientation and registered for your classes, you may officially declare your major through the appropriate academic department.

I’ve been to college before, do I have to attend an Orientation?
Yes. All new students need to attend an Orientation. We want you to be aware of all the academic opportunities, policies and services available to you on our campus. If you are 23 years of age or older, you may request an express schedule when you confirm your attendance in New Student Programs.

Readmit to CofC Students

What should I do to be readmitted?
All candidates for readmission to the College of Charleston are required to submit an application for admission.Students who let the College of Charleston with a cumulative GPA of lass than 2.0 or who were dismissed rom the College must also submit a personal letter to the Office of Undergraduate Academic Services explaining how they have used their time while out of school and giving their reasons for believing they will now be successful at the College of Charleston. Students who have done work at other colleges since last attending the College of Charleston must have their transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions. The College of Charleston does not admit students who are ineligible to return to the last college or university attended.

How long will it take to complete my degree?
To graduate from the College of Charleston, students must complete the general education requirements, the requirements for a major, and electives to total 122 semester hours with a grade point average of at least a 2.0 overall and in their major. Degree requirement worksheets outline the specific courses required for each degree program.

When should I apply for admission?
Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible due to space limitations in the freshman class and on-campus housing. Applicants will be informed whether or not they have been accepted as soon as possible after a decision has been made. The deadline for international students to apply is November 1 for spring semester and Febuary 1 for fall semester.

What score must I have on the TOEFL to be admitted?
A score of 80 on the internet-based test (with a minimum score of 20 on each subsection), a score of 550 on the paper-based test, or a 213 on the computer-based test is the minimum that we accept.

How are my previous credits evaluated?
The College of Charleston will consider granting transfer credit for academic study completed at recognized foreign post-secondary institutions. If you wish to have previous university-level course work evaluated for transfer credit, please be aware that you must have a course-by-course evaluation report completed by one of the following credential evaluation services. Once you have been accepted for admission and this evaluation report is submitted to the Office of Admissions, your transfer credit to the College of Charleston will be determined and you can check your Transfer Credit Evaluation on CougarTrail. English translations of course descriptions are also required to properly award transfer credits for corresponding College of Charleston coursework.The following credential evaluation services are approved to perform course-by-course evaluations.

When can I register?
Visiting students may register during the new non-degree student registration period prior to the semester they wish to enroll. Contact the Office of Admissions and Adult Student Services for dates and times.

What services are non-degree students eligible for?
All student services are available to non-degree students. A college ID card (from the Cougar Card office) is essential for obtaining access to services.

Are transcripts required to enroll as a non-degree student?
While not required, transcripts of previous college and/or high school courses will allow your academic advisor to assist you in planning the best route towards your academic goals. Even student copies or other unofficial records can be helpful at this planning stage. Some courses require written evidence of pre-requisite course completion.

Can I register for courses electronically?
All continuously enrolled students at the college can register electronically using the CougarTrail registration system. Courses that require pre-requisites may require registration assistance from Adult Student Services. 953-5620 or adu@cofc.edu.

When are appointments available to speak with an advisor?
The Office of Adult Student Services in the Office of Admissions (Main Campus) is open for appointments from 9am-4pm daily. Other appointment times can be scheduled to meet student schedules. Call (843) 953-5620 to arrange an appointment convenient to your needs.

CofC North (located in the Trident Research Center at 5300 International Blvd., on the main road into the Charleston International Airport) is generally open from 8:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursdays, Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on Saturday when classes are scheduled. Call (843) 953-6684 to arrange an appointment.

Whom do I contact if I have difficulty with a course or need to withdraw from the college?
Contact the Office of the Registrar at 843.953.8668