Future Students

At the College of Charleston, you’ll find a residential experience that offers you the freedom to be exactly who you are and explore who you want to be as you are surrounded by the resources necessary for each student to reach their full potential. Here, living and learning are forever combined within a diverse community. The Department of Residence Life strives to empower residential students to become influential leaders and lifelong learners who have positive impacts in both their communities and global society.

What to Expect Living in the Halls

Find the living space you always imagined at the College of Charleston. With character, convenience and community at the heart of our program, we offer much more than the average residence hall. Choose from traditional rooms, apartments and beautiful historic homes. One thing is for sure, you'll never forget your first home away from home. All housing options include fully furnished bedrooms and common areas, WiFi and access to free washers and dryers.
  • Staff

    Through a culture of care, belonging, and inclusion and in partnership with residential students, our Residence Life staff seeks to cultivate supportive, learning-centered communities that foster academic achievement, personal development, transition to adulthood, and campus engagement.

  • Programming

    Outside of the classroom is where students begin to form identities independent from what they had before college. An important part of this personal growth is experiences outside the academic environment where they can apply new values and gain meaningful knowledge. Residence Life staff will provide programming to help create spaces and opportunities for this development to take place in a meaningful way within our communities.

  • Support

    • On-Call: Resident Assistants are on call in the residence halls every night during the during the academic year from 8:00 pm - 7:00 am. They will walk through their communities to assist residents, address concerns, and ensure that the residence hall environment is supportive of all students and adheres to the college’s policies
    • Access to staff: Residence Life staff is always available to help our students and offer support, assistance and referrals for personal, academic and psychological concerns. Students can reach out to their RAs, RHD or call the main office to connect with a staff member.

  • Policies

    In order to help us adhere to our mission and keep the residence halls a safe and academically focused environment, residence life staff enforce federal and state laws, campus policies, and residence hall policies. We ask residential students to partner with us to make sure the halls are inclusive and the best community possible for growth. A list of our policies can be found on the hub.

    As part of the residential living community, all students and their guests are expected to:
    1. Abide by all policies and procedures as stated in the Housing Contract, Residence Life Policies & Community Standards, and the College of Charleston Student Handbook.
    2. Understand that ignorance of the policies and procedures found in the Housing Contract, Residence Life. Policies & Community Standards, and the Student Handbook does not absolve students and guests from the policies and consequences therein.
    3. Residence Life and Campus Housing reserve the right to refer violators of any alleged charges/violations to the appropriate campus authority, which may include the Department of Public Safety or the Dean of Students.
    Listed below are several publications from the College of Charleston that contain information about many of the college's policies and procedures.
  • Tips on living in community/with a roommate

    Advice on how to successfully live with others:

    • Communication is essential. Be sure to use your roommate agreement to communicate the needs, preferences and expectations for each of you. Please reach out to your RA if you need help creating your roommate agreement.
    • Have a conversation with your roommate if an issue arises. Be respectful and compassionate when you talk about the problem. Want to practice what you will say to your roommate? Turn to your RA for practice conversations/problem-solving assistance.
    • Your roommate is sharing a space with you, but that doesn’t mean personal items are open for sharing. Do not assume it is OK to borrow your roommate’s stuff. Be sure to ask your roommate permission if you want to borrow something that doesn’t belong to you.
    • Safety is remembering to lock the doors and windows to your shared living space. And, remember to always carry your keys.
    • Keep in mind that while you share a living space together, you do not have to share the same social circles. Maintain a healthy and respectful relationship with your roommate and do not feel pressured to force a best-friend type of relationship, just because you live together.
    • We are all different. Appreciate each other’s differences. You will have a healthy relationship with your roommate if you practice understanding each other.
    • Change is everywhere. Your time in college is not only an academic journey, but also a time for your personal growth. Review your roommate agreement often to see if your contract needs revising due to changes or challenges. Consult with your RA for guidance.
  • Working with Res Life (DA Job)

    Incoming students can work with Residence Life through our Desk Assistant role! Please check out the application on the hub!