Charleston Bridge Help

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do students participating in Charleston Bridge have to live on campus?

  Yes, living on campus is a requirement of the program. Charleston Bridge students live on the College of Charleston campus and purchase a freshman meal plan. The on-campus housing and meal plan application must be completed by May 1. Charleston Bridge residence halls include Berry or Liberty.

  Students will be matched with roommates also participating in the Charleston Bridge program. Participating students cannot reside with College of Charleston students, however, there are CofC and Charleston Bridge students living in the residence halls. This gives students many opportunities to meet new friends in the Charleston Bridge program as well as those students not participating.

  Students will continue to reside on campus if they are admitted to College of Charleston in the spring. The Housing Contract is a binding contract for the entire academic year (two semesters) from August to May.  Admitted students may request a room change or hall change for the spring semester if there are open beds available. 

  If a documented medical condition prevents a student from living in a CofC residence hall, the student must submit documentation for review to Trident Technical College's disability services by May 1. 

  Questions can be directed to Campus Housing by calling 843.953.2015 or email housing@cofc.edu. 

• Are there activities that Charleston Bridge students cannot participate in?

  Charleston Bridge participants cannot participate in the summer SPECTRA program.

  During the fall students would not be able to participate in Greek Life, work on campus, enroll in CofC courses, participate in an activity providing a stipend payment or CofC credit hours, or join a NCAA varsity sports team. However, all these activities would be available to students admitted in the spring.

• How do students apply for accommodations or approval of a service animal?

  Charleston Bridge students needing accommodations may complete a request for disability services with Trident Technical College (TTC). This approval is also required for service animals (ESA) in a College of Charleston residence hall or if a student needs to live off campus because they cannot reside in a College of Charleston residence hall due to a documented disability.

  To qualify for appropriate accommodations, students must identify themselves to Trident Technical College Disability Services and provide documentation of a disability from a professional qualified to assess the presence of that disability. A student may register with Services for Students with Disabilities on a voluntary, confidential basis. Trident Technical College or College of Charleston are not responsible for providing any accommodations for students who have not registered and requested accommodations. 

  View the TTC guidelines for documenting a disability here.

  Registering with Trident Technical College Services for Students with Disabilities is a two-step process:

  1. Submit verifying medical documentation of a disability.
     1. Go to Etrieve to securely upload your documentation.
     2. Log in using your TTC credentials.
     3. Upload your documentation and click submit.
  2. Schedule an Intake with a Disability Counselor to determine accommodations.
     Schedule Intake with Trident Technical College Disability Services.

  During the intake process, student needs will be discussed, and reasonable accommodations will be determined. After the intake appointment, submitted documentation will be reviewed by TTC and students with approved accommodations will be shared with the College of Charleston Center for Disability Services, the Director of Charleston Brige, Campus Housing, and TTC faculty (if applicable). Students will be notified by email regarding request approval. 

  If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact Trident Technical College at Counseling.Services@tridenttech.edu.

• How does a student add, drop or withdraw from a fall Charleston Bridge class?

  During the summer, students contact their Trident Technical College advisor to make schedule changes. Once fall classes begin, Charleston Bridge students use their College of Charleston email to send a request to make changes to the fall course schedule.  

  Students must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours to meet Charleston Bridge program requirements. 

  View Fall Courses instructions: 

  • View the Fall Charleston Bridge TTC course descriptions and how these courses transfer in as earned credit hours to the College of Charleston here. 
  • View Fall Charleston Bridge TTC seat availability using the TTC Course Search (Complete the information on this page using the drop-down feature - Course Subject: All, Course Method: LEC (lecture), Location: College of Charleston, Semester: 2024 Fall, check the box for Fall Full (14 weeks). Look for the CAPACITY total and USED total. If USED does not equal CAPACITY, there are open seats in the class. Please note if you are looking for the Biology 101 lab, use the LAB course method when searching. There is only one lab day/time available for Biology 101 this fall. 

  During the drop/add period, students can make changes to their fall schedule.  

  To add or drop a class once classes begin, follow these instructions: 

  • Email Registration@cofc.edu using your College of Charleston email account.  
  • To add a class, in the SUBJECT of the email include the text - "CHARLESTON BRIDGE ADD".  
  • To drop a class, in the SUBJECT of the email include the text - "CHARLESTON BRIDGE DROP".  
  • The request must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. by the drop or add deadline date 
  • In the email text, include the name of the course(s) and section number of the class h to add or drop from the fall schedule. 

  To withdraw from a class after the drop/add period, follow these instructions:  

  After the add-drop deadline, students may only withdraw from a class. An indicator of "W" will appear on the student's academic transcript but this action will not affect the cumulative GPA.  

  • Email Registration@cofc.edu using your College of Charleston email account.  
  • In the SUBJECT of the email include the text - "CHARLESTON BRIDGE WITHDRAWAL". 
  • In the email text include your name, your College of Charleston CWID number, the name of the course(s) and section number of the class to withdraw from the fall schedule.  If you don't know your CWID number, you can email bridge@cofc.edu.  

  Before taking action, students can meet with the Charleston Bridge staff to discuss schedule changes and how this action may affect spring admission to the College of Charleston. When making changes keep in mind that students must complete at least 12 credit hours with a 2.6 cumulative GPA to meet the program requirements. Students must meet all four Charleston Bridge requirements to be considered for spring admission.  

  A schedule change request will be processed by College of Charleston and shared with Trident Technical College. Once processed, the student will see course changes in the Trident Technical College portal. Students will also receive an email confirmation sent to their TTC email from Trident Technical College. 

   

• How does financial aid and billing for Charleston Bridge studentswork?

  For the fall semester:

  Charleston Bridge students can receive federal and state financial aid for the fall semester. Financial aid is processed by the Trident Technical College (TTC) financial aid office. Questions about fall financial aid should be directed to the TTC Financial Aid Office by phone at 843.574.2581 or email bridgeaid@tridenttech.edu. 

  To apply for financial aid complete and submit the FAFSA. On the FAFSA, include the FAFSA school codes 004920 (TTC) and 003428 (CofC). These codes allow both institutions to electronically receive the FAFSA information.  

  All payments for the fall Charleston Bridge semester are paid to Trident Technical College. You can find TTC payment instructions here. 

  For the spring semester:

  Charleston Bridge students admitted to College of Charleston  will receive an email from the Office of Financial Assistance & Veterans Affairs with the spring financial aid award. Students must login to MyPortal to accept the award (including student and parent loans) to receive financial aid.

  Spring bills are processed once a student is admitted to College of Charleston and registers for CofC classes. Admitted students pay College of Charleston tuition and fees to the Treasurer's Office. Payment plans are available.

  Bills are sent to the student's CofC email each semester. Parents and families are encouraged to become an authorized user to receive a copy of the billing email (ebill). Questions should be directed to the Office of the Treasurer.

  Questions about CofC financial aid should be directed to the Office of Financial Assistance & Veterans Affairs. 

• How does a Charleston Bridge student pre-enroll in FYE for the spring semester?

  Charleston Bridge students admitted to College of Charleston for the spring are expected to complete the FYE course requirement during the spring semester. First Year Experience gives students the opportunity learn from faculty teaching special topic courses with an upperclassmen Peer Facilitator. 

  The First-Year Experience (FYE) is a requirement that students must completed within the first year to meet the CofC graduation requirement. During the fall, Charleston Bridge students can indicate their preferences for FYE courses to pre-enroll in FYE before registration opens to all students. 

  There are two types of FYE - a first year seminar or a learning community. Both options have an attached synthesis seminar (FYSS) lead by a peer facilitator that meets once a week for 50 minutes. Students must attend the course(s) and the synthesis seminar to receive credit. 

  The FYE Pre-enrollment process: 

  Students can submit their top five preferences for spring FYE courses via the Google Form sent to student's CofC email during the fall semester. 

  Students may review the FYE website to see semester course descriptions and times. Course offerings are subject to change. 

  The FYE office will enroll students in the course and it will appear on the spring schedule when the student registers for Spring classes. Students who are pre-enrolled may elect to change their FYE to any FYE course with open seats once course registration is open for all students.

  Email questions to fye@cofc.edu 

• How does a student withdraw from the Charleston Bridge program?

  Students who seek to withdraw from all fall classes should send an email to Registration@cofc.edu using their CofC email stating their intent to withdraw from all fall classes. Please copy bridge@cofc.edu on the withdrawal request. The request to withdraw from all classes must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. by the withdrawal date deadline.

  It is recommended that students receiving financial aid contact the Office of Financial Aid at Trident Technical College and speak with a counselor before withdrawing. Withdrawing from all classes may impact scholarships and financial aid awards received for the fall semester as well as financial aid eligibility for future semesters. 

  Once a student withdraws from all classes, they must vacate the residence hall within 48 hours. The appropriate check-out protocol with the residence hall must be followed - students should consult with their resident assistant. All belongings must be removed from campus housing. The College of Charleston is not responsible for any items left in the room.

  Once withdrawn from the program, the Cougar Card (ID card) will be deactivated preventing use to access the residence hall, campus facilities, or campus dining. 

  If a student completely withdraws from the program, they are responsible for paying the full fall semester housing and meal plan fee. All fees are non-refundable.

• If a student decides not to participate, are the fees refundable?

  All fees are nonrefundable. This includes the deposit ($400), housing application fee ($50), and program fee ($1450). If a student moves into a CofC residence hall, the housing and meal plan fee for the fall semester are nonrefundable. Therefore, if a Bridge student moves into the residence hall and then decides to completely withdraw from the program (voluntary or involuntary) during the fall, they are responsible for the full semester housing and meal plan charges.

  Only the fall tuition may be refunded by Trident Technical College if this withdrawal from the program occurs during the drop/add period. 

• Do students have to move out of the residence halls for December break?

  Students admitted to the College of Charleston do not have to move their belongings out of the room or residence hall for the holiday break. Admitted students can return to their same room in the residence hall in January. It is recommended that students remove items from refrigerators, empty trash, and take items of value with them when departing for the break. Students with questions about checking out of the residence hall or requesting changes in spring housing should contact Campus Housing at housing@cofc.edu or call 843.953.2015.

  Students not admitted for spring must remove all belongings from their room in the residence hall and follow the check out protocol provided by Campus Housing by the December deadline.  The College of Charleston is not responsible for items left in the room after this date. Students can direct questions to the residence hall assistant or housing@cofc.edu regarding move out. 

• How does a student appeal a decision denying spring admission? 

  Appealing for Spring Admission   

  Students not meeting any one of the four Charleston Bridge program requirements will receive an email denying spring admission. The email from the Office of Admissions will be sent to the student's College of Charleston email account.  

  Students denied admission to the College of Charleston have the right to appeal the decision. An appeal should explain mitigating circumstances that occurred during the fall semester and the steps the student took to resolve, change or improve the circumstances.  

  A mitigating circumstance is one that is out of the student's control and resulted in the student's inability to complete any one of the four program requirements. The appeal must address what you did to resolve the circumstances.  

  NOTE: 

  • If your appeal is approved, you will register for classes in January during Orientation.  
  • Faculty report students with excessive absences, poor test grades, plagiarism, late assignments and failure to complete work. These reports are referred to during the appeal review and can affect the appeal decision. Multiple reports may result in a denial of spring admission. 
  • Behavioral reports will be referred to during the appeal process. This applies to reports on or off campus. Students and their guest(s) should abide by the policies and procedures stated in the Housing Contract, Residence Life & Community Standards, and the College of Charleston Student Handbook. 
  • Reports of sexual misconduct, not following the code of conduct, fake ID possession or distribution, vandalism or damaging campus property, bullying, stalking, weapon possession, threatening or harming others, alcohol use or possession, public intoxication, drug use or distribution, or any illegal activities resulting in a conviction can affect the appeal decision. Reported violations can result in a denial of spring admission even if all program requirements are met.  
  • The appeal letter must include all required information (see below) or it will be denied. 
  • Appeals or supporting documentation will not be accepted after the deadline. 

  What to include in the appeal: 

  Before submitting the appeal letter and documentation (if available), please read the information below. 

  To appeal, submit a student-written appeal letter that includes all of the information below: 

  1. Explain the reason for the appeal and the circumstances that occurred which made it impossible to meet program requirements. Students must provide an explanation for each of the following four requirements that are not met: 
  

  • Earning at least 12 credit hours during the fall semester  
  • Earning a 2.4 cumulative GPA during the fall semester  
  • Using the Center for Student Learning services at least once 
  • Attending the Success Seminar and earning at least 10 of the 14 available points  

  2. Fully explain the mitigating circumstance(s) that occurred during the fall semester that prevented you from meeting the program requirement(s). 
  

  • If medical circumstances apply, include a statement about the need for medical attention (including prescription of medication or changes in medication) during the semester and documentation by a medical professional if available. Medical conditions or surgery should be during the current fall semester - not before the semester began or after the semester ended.  
  • Provide as much detail as possible that would help the committee fully understand the circumstances.

  3. If applicable, state reason(s) why you earned a grade of C or below in each fall course or lab 

  4. Describe the off campus or on campus resources that you used for support during the semester to help you resolve the circumstances such as working with a therapist or medical professional, meeting with course faculty, use of disability services, working with a counselor, meeting with an academic advisor, consulting with residence life staff, seeking help from the IT helpdesk or use of academic support services offered by the Center for Student Learning etc. (there will be follow-up with campus services, faculty, or staff to verify the student use).  

  5. If you had reports of behavior violations on or off campus, explain the circumstances and what action you took, to resolve this matter and address the consequences. 

  6. If you had reports from faculty about not attending class, not completing work, or late assignments explain what action you took to resolve this matter. In your explanation include the name(s) of TTC faculty or College of Charleston staff that you worked with to address the circumstances 

  7. State what you would do differently if admitted and the specific steps you will take in the upcoming semester to ensure that minimum academic standards are met. 

  8. In closing, include an explanation about why you wish to be admitted and continue your studies at the College of Charleston. What makes you a good addition to the College of Charleston student body? 

  Submitting the appeal:  

  The appeal letter and supporting documentation should be submitted at the same time using the student's College of Charleston email account. Students can only submit one appeal letter and documentation online (you may submit up to 3 supporting documents). Your letter must address all the items listed above to be considered. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

  • The appeal letter and any supporting documentation should be submitted to https://forms.gle/ec9zuBCF377i8YK37 (THIS FORM IS CLOSED UNTIL DEC. 2024) 

  If you encounter a problem with this link or submitting documentation, email bridge@cofc.edu.  

  Mitigating circumstances: 

  The following examples are NOT considered mitigating circumstances eligible for an appeal: 

  • Changes in the Charleston Bridge academic calendar 
  • Not aware of deadline dates or assignment due dates  
  • Transportation issues 
  • Did not attend class or submit assignments 
  • Did not purchase books or required materials for class 
  • Faculty did not offer extra credit or opportunities to make up missed or late work 
  • Violations of academic policies including plagiarism, disruptive behavior in the classroom, or cheating 
  • Course difficulty or workload 
  • Did not feel using the Center for Student Learning or attending the Success Seminar was needed 
  • Course delivery (online, hybrid, or face to face) or change in course delivery during the semester 
  • Difficulty making the transition to college 
  • Poor study skills 
  • Did not like the course or faculty teaching the course  
  • Roommate conflicts or poor relationships with a roommate or suitemates 
  • Not applying for accommodations or using approved accommodations 
  • Residence hall conditions, maintenance issues, or room changes 
  • Illegal activities resulting in arrest 
  • Reports regarding behavioral issues on or off campus 
  • Violations of residence hall or campus policies 
  • Not attending online or face to face courses or participating in required activities 
  • Technology issues (TTC or College of Charleston) - this includes unstable Wi-Fi access, access to course software, use of D2L or OAKS, use of an online textbook, failure to check email or unable to access email etc. 

  Providing supporting documentation: 

  Letters of support are not required but can be helpful to the appeal committee when making admission decisions. Letters of support may be from faculty, staff, seminar instructor, a Charleston Bridge peer mentor, a doctor, therapist, or a counselor. Letters of support from family members or friends are not recommended. 

  Documentation verifying circumstances such as illness or medical treatment is highly encouraged and can be submitted if available. Medical documentation should verify the illness or condition and the time of the medical treatment during the fall semester. 

  Students are welcome to submit other forms of documentation such as police reports, death notices, doctor recommendations, participation in counseling or support groups etc.  

  After the appeal is submitted: 

  Students will receive an email from the Office of Admissions sent to the student's College of Charleston email account. The email will indicate if the appeal has been approved or denied. The appeal decision will be sent to the student's College of Charleston email. 

  Appeal decisions will not be released by phone or to any other email other than the College of Charleston email account. The appeal decision is final. Students with approved appeals will be contacted by the Office of New Student Programs regarding completion of spring course registration. 

  Students with denied appeals must remove belongings and vacate the residence hall. The College of Charleston is not responsible for items left in the room.