Campus Services HQ

New Student? Start Here!

• Cougar Card – your CofC ID

  The Cougar Card is the official College of Charleston ID card – your first one is free! You are not required to display your card, but you should carry it while on campus. The Cougar Card is your key to campus events, facilities and services. Use it for all this and more:

  • your meal plan
  • Dining Dollars
  • residence hall access
  • CofC Athletics events
  • bus rides with CARTA
  • Silcox Center gym and George Street Fitness Center
  • Cougar Cash (our on-campus debit system)
  • CofC Libraries

  Submit your photo online before your orientation for faster card pickup (and as many retakes as you like before submitting!).

• Parking and Transportation

  Students who live on campus and have fewer than 60 cumulative credit hours on file with the Office of the Registrar are not allowed to park on campus. Commuting students (students not living on campus), regardless of credit hours earned, are eligible to apply for College parking.

  Parking is not guaranteed, so we maintain a list of privately owned spaces leased to students on our website. But we encourage you to leave your car at home! Everything you need is at your doorstep.

  Students can use CARTA bus services for free with a valid Cougar Card. Visit ridecarta.com to view in-town routes, the airport shuttle, and express routes connecting key locations throughout Charleston and downtown. Yes, it will get you to the beach (in season)!

  The College also has a free Bike Share program (requires CofC login) through the Center for Sustainable Development, providing short- and long-term rentals.

• I'm moving to campus! Now what?

  Campus Housing handles housing applications, room selection, room changes, room access (keys and key fobs) and student-housing accounts. Details related to the move-in process (how to sign up, where to get keys, where to park, etc.) are typically provided in July. For more housing information and important dates, please visit our website. Our office works with Residence Life, which supports residential activities and events, and with Facilities Management, if students have maintenance concerns. Students can submit work order requests to Facilities Management via the MyHousing/Dining portal.

  Residential Wi-Fi

  Apogee provides ResNet, a secure, high-speed Wi-Fi for students living in our residence halls. A guest network is also available for your visitors.

• Dining and Meal Plans

  Campus Services HQ oversees all meal plan selections, changes and cancellations, and the Charleston Culinary Group manages all of the College’s campus dining locations.

  Our meal plans offer residential and commuter students quick, healthy, allergy-friendly and satisfying options for busy schedules. With all-you-care-to-eat options in our residential dining locations, Liberty Fresh Food Co. and City Bistro, plus our vegan, vegetarian and kosher-style dining hall, Marty’s Place, you’ll have lots of options. Other locations include retail options like Chick-fil-A, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Starbucks and Verde, plus The Market and three POD Express locations for grab-and-go meals.

  Students may add, change or cancel a meal plan until the last day of Drop/Add at 5 p.m. Students may add a meal plan at any time, but the plan cannot be charged to the student eBill after that deadline; it must be paid for at the time of purchase with cash, check or any major credit card.

• Textbooks and more!

  Barnes & Noble is the official bookstore of the College of Charleston. We can handle all of your textbook needs. Upon registering for classes, you’ll be automatically enrolled in our Cougar Complete program, which allows you to get all of your required course materials for a flat fee of $22 per credit hour, charged to your student eBill. There’s no need to shop around! (You may opt out or opt back in until Drop/Add.)

  We also offer general-interest books, study aids, course-related and general school supplies, spirit wear, clothing and gifts. The bookstore accepts credit, debit, Cougar Cash, financial aid and PayPal.

• Mail, Shipping and Passports

  Students living in campus housing will receive a CofC Complex mailing address from Mail Services before move-in. Please do not ship items to your residence hall's street address!

  Mail Services provides most major USPS services and can accept letters and packages from couriers like FedEx, UPS, DHL and more. The customer service window is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., for mail pickup and other postal services, and students can retrieve packages from the locker bays in our lobby 24/7.

  We also offer a full-service passport office, making it convenient for you to complete forms and file for a U.S. Passport for study abroad and more!

• Elevate your Entertainment

  The College of Charleston’s historic Sottile Theatre – built in the 1920s, and lovingly restored and upgraded in 2019 – serves as a performance and event venue for the College and the community. The 785-seat theatre hosts regional and international operas, plays, musicals, ballets and concerts – including Spoleto Festival USA events – as well as student performances, movie nights, comedians and renowned speakers.

  Tickets for all non-athletic events can be purchased through the George Street Box Office at gsbo.cofc.edu/tickets. Students can often get free or discounted tickets for College events!