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Email to current residential students sent 1/28/2022

As you may know, beginning this fall, McAlister Hall will be renovated, which we’re very excited about. With its closure for the 2022-2023 academic year, however, compounded by large incoming and rising sophomore classes, we will not have enough spaces for all students who wish to live on campus.  

We know this situation is not ideal. The College attempted to secure additional housing for our students with off-campus operators using Real Property Services – which provides centralized real estate services for the State of South Carolina – and could not find a tenable solution. But, while we cannot formally provide a single solution for all upperclassmen who wish to live on campus, Campus Housing is working with Student Affairs (read about a tabling event under Tips and Reminders) and other offices to make your search for off-campus housing as easy as possible. 

A number of our students depend on campus housing due to a variety of circumstances. We are asking each student to consider their own situation carefully and whether they could live off campus this year.  

The College is prioritizing on-campus housing for incoming freshmen and sophomores. Incoming freshmen who complete the housing application by May 1, 2022, are guaranteed housing. Sophomores also remain a priority. However, based on a three-year average of sophomores living on campus and our anticipated 2022-2023 enrollment, we expect that we will not have enough housing for all interested sophomores unless a higher than average number of students decide to live off campus. There will not be space for juniors and seniors (upperclassmen) in our residence halls and houses (except as noted below) – again, unless a higher than average number of students decide to live off campus. 

If you are interested in on-campus housing, please read below for information as it relates to your situation. Note: Your status as a freshman, sophomore or upperclassman will be defined by credit hours earned as of December 2021. That means it does not include hours from this current semester.  

IMPORTANT: PRE-APPLICATION REQUEST FOR HOUSING 

Beginning February 1, 2022, at 9 a.m. all current students who are interested in on-campus housing for the 2022-2023 academic year will need to submit a Request for Housing form. (Note: students in Pre-Approved Housing Categories, below, and incoming freshmen will not need to submit this request.) To access the form, log into the MyHousing/Dining portal and click the Apply for Housing button. 

• This Request for Housing form must be completed by February 8, 2022, for you to be considered to apply for housing.  
• The form will include a section regarding extenuating circumstances, should you have any. 
• All students will be notified by February 24, 2022, via email from Campus Housing regarding their eligibility status. If you are eligible to apply for housing based on your earned credit hours or extenuating circumstances, you will need to complete your housing application by midnight on February 28.   

2022-2023 Incoming Freshmen  

Although students and families receiving this email will not fall into this category, we’re including as much information as we can. Incoming (first-year) freshmen may begin to apply for housing February 1, 2022, at 9 a.m. and should follow the instructions outlined on our Apply Now – Incoming New Students page. 

2022-2023 Sophomores (15 or fewer earned credit hours as of December 2021) 

• As noted in the IMPORTANT section above, sophomores who are interested in on-campus housing for the 2022-2023 academic year will need to submit the Request for Housing form.  
• Please pay careful attention to deadlines.  
• Students in Pre-Approved Housing Categories, below, will not need to submit this form. 
• Since we do not expect to have enough spaces for all interested sophomores, they will be prioritized for housing beginning with those students who have fewer credit hours and then those who have extenuating circumstances.  

Read below for information about Nonrefundable Housing Prepayment and Fees.  

Reminder: The number of private beds on campus will be minimal. If a private room is important to you, you should look off campus. 

2022-2023 Upperclassmen (16+ earned credit hours as of December 2021) 

• Upperclassmen in Pre-Approved Housing Categories, below, can apply for housing for the 2022-2023 academic year. They will receive an email from Campus Housing with next steps.  
• As noted in the IMPORTANT section above, upperclassmen who have extenuating circumstances that require they live in on-campus housing for the 2022-2023 academic year will need to submit the Request for Housing form.  
• We cannot guarantee housing for these circumstances but will attempt to accommodate students as space permits.  
• No other upperclassmen will be considered for housing. 

Read below for information about Nonrefundable Housing Prepayment and Fees.  

Pre-Approved Housing Categories 

Students in the following housing categories – regardless of credit hours earned – will be pre-approved to apply for housing for the 2022-2023 academic year beginning February 1 at 9 a.m. They do not need to complete the Request for Housing form. They include the following:  

• students living in College-owned Greek housing  

• students living in one of the three themed historic houses 
  • Women's and Gender Studies House 
  • La Maison Française  
  • La Casa Hispana 

• Resident Assistants 

• Returning Meeting Street Scholars 

Nonrefundable Housing Prepayment and Fees 

Sophomores or upperclassmen who receive notification that they are eligible to apply for housing, note that, because of the limited beds available, the $200 housing prepayment and $50 housing application fee paid during the application process will be nonrefundable. 

Roommate Groups 

Roommate groups can only be formed among students who have completed a housing application, which means they’ll need to have been approved to apply for housing. Upperclassmen will not be able to form a roommate group with freshmen or sophomores solely to secure housing. 

2022-2023 FAFSA 

It is our strong recommendation that any student who would like to be considered for housing for financial reasons submit their 2022-2023 FAFSA no later than February 2.   

TIPS AND REMINDERS FOR LIVING OFF CAMPUS 

SAVE THE DATE! Student Affairs will host a tabling event with area housing providers so that students can meet with a variety of off-campus operators at once. The event will take place Wednesday, February 16, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., in Cougar Mall (rain date: February 23).  

We’ve provided an overview of some of the larger housing providers located within approximately two miles of campus on our Waitlist Information page. These are not affiliated with the College of Charleston in any way, and we cannot and do not endorse or recommend any specific provider. We are simply providing this limited information as a mere courtesy. 

Students may wish to live off the peninsula for a variety of reasons. If you do not have a car or would like to avoid driving downtown and parking, please consider CARTA bus services as an option. The College of Charleston partners with CARTA to provide free service to all CofC students on all CARTA buses. Simply show your valid Cougar Card to board any CARTA bus free of charge. 

Students who live off campus may still get a meal plan, which is an excellent want to stay connected to campus and to continue enjoying the convenience of not having to cook or clean dishes. Commuting students have eight meal plans to choose from and students can dine on site or take food to go.  

We realize this is a lot of information and that it’s coming quickly before you’ll need to make some important decisions. Please, after reviewing this email closely, let us know if you have any questions by contacting us at housing@cofc.edu or 843.953.2015.  

Email sent to current residential students December 17, 2021

Beginning this fall, McAlister Hall will be renovated, which we’re very excited about. With its closure for the 2022-2023 academic year, however, we will have fewer spaces available for students who wish to live on campus.

The College will need to prioritize on-campus housing for incoming freshmen and sophomores, and there will likely not be space for juniors and seniors in our residence halls and houses (excluding Greek and themed housing). Additionally, the number of private beds on campus will be greatly reduced. If that is important to you as a sophomore, we also encourage you to look off campus.

If you fall into the category of needing off-campus housing, we’ve provided an overview of some of the larger housing providers on our Waitlist Information page, which are located within approximately two miles of campus. These are not affiliated with the College of Charleston in any way, and we cannot and do not endorse or recommend any specific provider. We are simply providing this limited information as a mere courtesy.

We recognize that sometimes students need to live on campus due to extenuating circumstances, and we are working to develop an equitable way for upperclassmen in these situations to be considered for housing.

We should have more information in January. It’s not our preference to not have all of the information, but we wanted to give students as much advance notice as possible. If you have any questions, please email campusservices@cofc.edu, and we’ll do our best to answer them.