Orientation

 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 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.