Student Achievement

Student achievement is an integral part of the mission of College of Charleston. The emphasis on student success is consistent with the statutory mandates and directives of the South Carolina Department of Administration and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

The College of Charleston’s mission, last reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees May 7, 2020, states:

Founded in 1770, the College of Charleston is a public university grounded in the principles of the liberal arts and committed to developing ethically centered, intellectually versatile and globally fluent citizens who create innovative solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges.

The College of Charleston’s Strategic Plan, adopted in spring 2020 and updated in 2025, identifies three areas of strategic priorities. Two of the three areas are directly related to student achievement. Strategies for achieving these goals are appropriate to the institution’s mission and reflect the College’s Goals for Measuring Student Achievement:

  1. Student Experience & Success. “Ensure an effective support system that increases retention (Goal 6, 7 and 10) and graduation rates (Goal 1 and 9) and enables students to learn and grow in every aspect of their college experience, preparing them to work (Goals 2 and 4) and lead in a globally connected world. 
  2. Academic Distinction. “Become ranked as a national university distinguished by our innovative liberal arts core and high-achieving students (Goals 3,5, and 8) and alumni.

Both the College’s mission and the Strategic Plan emphasize the principles of the liberal arts. This commitment is evidenced by the common general education requirements for all students, regardless of program of study. The College honors both its liberal arts traditions and the possibility of transformation in its academic programs. Students can choose to study in the arts, science, and humanities as well as engineering, business, and education.

The South Carolina Code of Laws describes a mission for higher education in South Carolina that would have each public university achieve goals relevant to student success, including “high academic quality” and “instructional excellence” (S.C. Code of Laws, Section 59-­103-­15). Critical success factors for academic quality, as specified in the Code of Laws, include graduates’ achievements based on six performance indicators: the institution’s graduation rate, employment rate for graduates, employer feedback on graduates, scores of graduates on post-undergraduate examinations and certification tests, the number of graduates who continued their education, and the credit hours earned by graduates (S.C. Code of Laws, Section 59­103-­30).

The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education is given responsibility for “coordinating an efficient and responsive higher education system” in South Carolina, consistent with the relevant statutes.

10 Goals for Student Achievement