FAQs

Incoming first-year students who pay the non-refundable $400 enrollment deposit and the non-refundable $50 housing application fee AND complete the housing application by 11:59 EST on May 1  are guaranteed on-campus housing. After May 1, students may add their name to a housing-application wait list through the MyHousing/Dining portal.

Students apply for housing via the MyHousing/MyDining portal via MyPortal after paying the enrollment deposit. More details can be found on the Apply for Housing page.

No. Students are not required to live on campus, but incoming first-year students are encouraged to do so. 

The sooner you complete your housing application, the better chance you have at selecting your top choice room. Read more about room selection.

YES! For first-year incoming students to be guaranteed a space on campus (not your preferred building), the student must pay the tuition deposit, housing application fee AND complete the housing application by 11:59 EST on May 1. After May 1, students may add their name to a housing-application wait list through the MyHousing/Dining portal.

Incoming students are assigned a date for room selection based on the date the student completed their housing application. The earlier you complete your housing application, the better chance you have at selecting your top choice. Room selection for incoming students starts in June.

Yes. If you have already found someone you wish to live with, you can create a roommate group in your housing application. To select one another, both students need to have completed the housing application. You will be able to form a roommate group until May 15 (but you must still have completed your housing application by 11:59 EST on May 1).

New students have a range of options for housing. Please visit our Residence Halls page to view what's available for new students.

If you decide not to attend the College of Charleston or decide to live off campus, you need to cancel your housing application immediately. Please use the following steps to cancel the application:

• Log into MyPortal.
• Click on the MyHousing/Dining tile.
• Click the Cancel Application button.
• Select the current term Housing Application and click Continue.
• Choose your reason for cancellation from the drop-down menu.
• Click on the Cancel Application button at the bottom of the page.

Notifying the Admissions Office does not constitute notice to Campus Housing. Cancellation penalties will apply based on the date of cancellation.

Please review the Apply for Housing page for returning students for details.

The housing contract is a binding agreement for both the fall and spring semesters. If you decide to live off campus or to not attend the College PRIOR to moving in, you must cancel your housing application via the MyHousing/Dining portal.

• Log into MyPortal.
• Click on the MyHousing/Dining tile.
• Select the current term Housing Application and click Continue.
• Choose your reason for cancellation from the drop-down menu.
• Click on the Cancel Application button at the bottom of the page.

Cancellation penalties will apply. Please see the detailed contract cancellation information listed in your housing contract.

You can select a meal plan within the housing application via the MyHousing/Dining portal until mid-August (fall) or early January (spring) and then through Campus Services HQ after that. Please review all Meal Plan and deadline information on the Campus Services HQ Meal Plans page. You may also contact Campus Services HQ at 843.953.1100 for more information about meal plans. Meal plans are required for all first-year students living on campus and are optional for upperclass residents and commuters. 

Students may request a room change through the room change request process, which typically opens a few weeks into the semester. Students will be notified via email when this is available. 

The Charleston area has many apartment options. Price, quality and location vary greatly depending on individual needs. Campus Housing does not coordinate off-campus options but maintains a list of larger providers within 2 miles of campus. 

You can decorate your room using materials that do not damage the room, furniture or fixtures. Do not use anything that goes into the wall or that would damage the paint. We recommend Command strips (that are also removed properly) and painter's tape. We do not allow LED strip lights. Please read more details on our What to Bring/Not to Bring page. 

Bed heights are set depending on the layout of the room and what furniture needs to fit under it. Students should not attempt to raise or lower beds.

No, we welcome returning students to stay with us. Returning student housing applications open February 1 and room selection takes place a bit later in the spring. Housing is not guaranteed for returners the same way it is for incoming first-year students, but so long as a returner completes their housing application within the stated deadlines, they will get campus housing.

Private room: student has their own bedroom but shares common spaces, including bathrooms.

Double room: student shares a bedroom with one other person and, if in a suite, shares common spaces, including bathrooms, with their roommate and suitemates.

Triple room: student shares a bedroom with two other people and, if in a suite, shares common spaces, including bathrooms, with their roommates and suitemates.

Quadruple room: student shares a bedroom with three other people and, if in a suite, shares common spaces, including bathrooms, with their roommates and suitemates.

Yes, free washing machines and dryers are in all residence halls and designated houses. CSC Go allows residents to monitor the status of washers and dryers in connected laundry rooms through a web browser.

Yes. Students are expected to clean all areas inside their room or suite.

All students are provided a bed, a closet or wardrobe, chest of drawers, desk and desk chair. For more specific information about what furniture your residence hall or house provides, check the page for your residence hall. Furniture, including mattresses, cannot be removed from the room.

We do not currently provide housing for graduate students or family housing.

The residence halls and houses are open over Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break and Spring Break. All halls and houses close over Winter Break. Please review the Academic Calendar for important dates. 

Campus Housing recognizes the needs of students with disabilities. We work with the Center for Disability Services to coordinate proper facilities and arrangements for students with a documented disability to live on campus. Please contact Disability Services at 843.953.1431 to learn how to apply. You can also find more information, including deadlines, on the Center for Disability Services Housing Accommodations page.