Orientation

Welcome to New Student and Family Orientation

orientation header

Congratulations!

We are excited that you’ll be joining CougarNation. Each year, the Office of New Student Programs introduces incoming students and their families to the College of Charleston experience through orientation.

Registration for the summer 2023 in-person orientation sessions is open for student who have paid their non-refundable enrollment deposit. The summer 2023 dates are posted on the orientation dates page.  

During orientation, students will have the chance to:

  • meet other incoming students.
  • meet an academic advisor.
  • register for classes.
  • become more familiar with campus.
  • meet faculty from various programs on campus.
  • learn about the campus and the services that are offered. 

We charge everyone a nonrefundable, $133, new-student program fee. It is used to cover the costs of processing your application, orientation materials, orientation programming and student staff wages.  This fee, plus any others related to orientation, will be due when your tuition bill for the upcoming semester.  

How to Register for Orientation  

You must have paid your non-refundable enrollment deposit to be able to register for orientation.  It can take up to one business day after your fee is processed for you to be able to register.

  1. When you are ready, type myportal.cofc.edu into your browser. Use your permanent username to log into your MyPortal account and complete the online registration form. Your permanent username is made up of letters, not numbers. So if you are using your student ID number as your username, you will not be able to access the form. You should follow the directions on the Admissions Next Step website in the Know Your CofC Credentials section to set up your permanent MyPortal login. 

  2. Go to the top right of the MyPortal screen and click on the down arrow that looks like a V.

  3. Click on select profile, select College of Charleston member and then select the orientation profile.

  4. Click on the “orientation registration” box. Verify that your name and email address are displayed at the top of the form. 

Follow the instructions and complete the entire reservation form (it is multiple pages). Answer all the questions so we can plan the best orientation for you.

 Summer 2023

The in-person orientation sessions are for students who are starting classes at the College of Charleston in the fall 2023 semester can be found on the orientation dates page.  New students who pay the non-refundable enrollment deposit to the Office of Admissions will begin to receive orientation information in the mail starting in March 2023. 

Session

Day of the Week

Date

Notes Per Session

Session 1

Monday and Tuesday

June 19 and 20

CLOSED - Honors student preferred; also open to all freshman students

Session 2

Thursday and Friday

June 22 and 23

CLOSED - Honors student preferred; also open to all freshman students

Session 3

Monday and Tuesday

June 26 and 27

CLOSED - Honors student preferred; also open to all freshman students

Session 4

Wednesday and Thursday

June 28 and 29

CLOSED - Honors student preferred; also open to all freshman students

Bridge Orientation (CofC Portion)

Friday

June 30

for students accepted into the Charleston Bridge program

Session 5

Friday

July 7

CLOSED - Open to all transfer students

Session 6

Monday and Tuesday

July 10-11

CLOSED - Honors student preferred; also open to all freshman students

Session 7

Thursday and Friday

July 13 and 14

CLOSED - Open to all freshman students

Session 8

Monday and Tuesday

July 17 and 18

CLOSED - Open to all freshman students

Session 9

Wednesday and Thursday

July 19 and 20

Open to all freshman students

Session 10

Friday

July 21

Open to all transfer students

Session 11

Monday

August 14

Open to all transfer students

Session 12

Tuesday

August 15

Open to all transfer students

Session 13

Thursday and Friday

August 17 and 18

Open to all freshmen students only who live FARTHER than 700 miles away from Charleston, SC.  If you are participating in sorority recruitment or Cougar Excursion, you will not be able to attend Session 13 on August 17 and 18. 

Session 13 is for freshmen only who live FARTHER than 700 miles away from Charleston. You are welcome to attend any of the freshman June or July sessions. Please note: There are a limited number of seats available that we will reserve on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you are participating in sorority recruitment or Cougar Excursion, you will not be able to attend Session 13 on August 17 and 18.

The first day of classes for the fall semester is Tueday, August 22, 2023. For additional semester dates, please refer to the academic calendar for each semester.   

You will be able to see your confirmation in the orientation profile in MyPortal on the orientation confirmation tile one week after you submitted your reservation form. 

Note: We do not mail or email confirmations.

You should have received an email through the personal email account that you used on your application to the College about how to set up your permanent MyPortal login. You should follow the directions on the Admissions Next Step website in the Know Your CofC Credentials section to set up your permanent account.

You will use this permanent account for all business you conduct with the College, such as registering for orientation, signing up for a meal plan, changing an address, checking space availability in a class and registering for a class, or reviewing account charges and balance information, and viewing your student email.

If you have not received an email with instructions on how to set up your permanent MyPortal account, contact ITservicedesk@cofc.edu or 843.953.3375. 

All students have a course registration hold, listed as an  orientation hold, in their file until they attend orientation. It does not affect your ability to register for orientation.

You will register for your courses during orientation. Courses that may appear closed on MyPortal may have seats open when new students register during orientation. This allows new students to have a chance to select the courses they may want.

The "perfect" schedule may not be available, but all students will be able to register for a full load of classes that will help them fulfill their core curriculum and degree requirements. New students should be prepared to be flexible and should not rule out registering for classes that begin as early as 8 a.m. or late in the afternoon.

After students attend New Student Orientation, they may make changes to their semester schedule through MyPortal during designated open registration periods. It is recommended that students consult with their academic advisor about schedule changes.

If you have questions, please  email or call 843.953.2017.

If you have a disability and need special arrangements for orientation, contact the Office of New Student Programs at 843.953.2017 as soon as possible.

If you have an emergency and must make a change to your orientation registration form after you have submitted it, email your requested change to  orientat@cofc.edu. Please include your name and CWID (Campus Wide Identification Number). If we can accommodate your request, we’ll confirm by email. 

Freshman

I have not taken any college classes. If I was dual enrolled in high school, I am still considered a freshman.

Transfer Student

I have taken college classes at a community or technical college, trade school, two-year or four-year college, and/or have military service credit with a Joint Services Transcript (JST).

Family Members

I am a family member interested in learning more about the services the College of Charleston offers.