First Year Impact Program

The College of Charleston’s First Year Impact Program is designed to assist you in building a solid foundation  for reaching your academic goals and earning your College of Charleston degree.

Through the program, our office will monitor your academic progress, refer you to campus resources, and just be here to listen if you need someone to talk to about personal or academic issues. Your success is our shared goal and we hope will utilize the Center's staff as a resource during your first year.

First Year Impact Overview

The First Year Impact Program provides clear expectations and recommendations based on a comprehensive review of successful students.
  • FYI Requirements (as of Fall 2023): 

    • Meet with your assigned Peer Academic Coach (PAC) on a weekly basis. 
    • Enroll in a minimum of 12 credits (full-time) each semester. 15 credits is recommended. 
      (Students may not enroll in more than 16 credit hours per semester while in the FYI Program.) 
    • Attend one Student Success Workshop each semester. 
      Verified attendance at Center for Student Learning (CSL) tutoring sessions can be used to satisfy this requirement.  
    • Meet with your assigned advisor in the Academic Advising and Planning Center (AAPC) once each semester to discuss course registration, goals, and degree planning. 

  • FYI Recommendations

    • Enroll in a First Year Experience (FYE) course in your first semester.  
      (FYE is a graduation requirement for all College of Charleston students and must be completed within your first year of enrollment.)
    • Discuss any schedule changes or course withdrawals with our office staff. 
    • Check your College of Charleston email account daily. Faculty and staff will only contact you via your College of Charleston email address. 
    • FYI staff will review midterm grades after they are posted each semester.  
      (You may be required to meet with staff to create an academic recovery plan if midterm grades are not satisfactory.)
    • We support students who would like to have a job while pursuing their education. We recommend limiting work hours to no more than 15 hours per week. On campus employment is encouraged. (Working more than 15 hours a week may negatively impact your academic success.)
    • Submit the academic reflection survey that will be sent via email from FYI staff at the end of each semester.

Evaluating your Progress

During your time in the First Year Impact Program, it is important to monitor your progression to successful completion of the program and to remain in Good Academic Standing by reviewing your midterm and final grades.
  • Midterm Grade Review

    • Students in the First Year Impact (FYI) Program review Midterm grades with their Peer Academic Coach (PAC) to ensure they are making adequate progress toward course completion and to connect them to appropriate campus resources.  

    • Students with multiple deficient grades (C- or below) at Midterms are required to meet with FYI staff prior to the Withdrawal Deadline to create an academic plan of improvement, discuss course withdrawals and address academic challenges.  

  • End of Term Final Grade Review

    At the end of each semester, Center for Academic Performance and Persistence staff will review all final grades. First Year Impact students will receive an email from the Center's office notifying them of their updated Academic Standing:

    • Good Academic Standing: The student has met the Academic Standards of the College.
    • Academic Probation: The student's GPA falls below Good Academic Standing. Students placed on Academic Probation after the first semester will be reviewed for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Generally, the improvement must be great enough so that the student makes substantial progress toward achieving academic good standing.