CofC students say changes to on-campus housing threatens their enrollment at the school

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Some College of Charleston students are concerned about changes to on-campus housing for the 2022-2023 school year.

On-campus housing is guaranteed for freshmen and in previous years, rising sophomores have been able to apply for on-campus housing with a decent chance of receiving it.

However, beginning in the fall one of the on-campus dorms — McAlister Hall — will be closed for renovations, eliminating hundreds of on-campus spots for students. Additionally, the college says large incoming freshman and rising sophomore class sizes are contributing to the lower number of available units.

In an email to students as well as a notice on CofC’s housing website, the college says they do not expect to have enough spaces for all interested sophomores, juniors, and seniors who request on-campus housing.

“[Sophomores] will be prioritized for housing beginning with those students who have fewer credit hours and then those who have extenuating circumstances.” 

College of Charleston

The housing notice also states:

• 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. 

While an effort was made to find a solution to the limited on-campus housing problem, college leaders say they were unable to find one that made sense.

“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 and other offices to make your search for off-campus housing as easy as possible.”

College of Charleston

A CofC student contacted News 2 about the situation and says some students are calling it a “housing crisis” as many students rely on scholarships and financial aid to attend school and plan to live in on-campus housing for as long as possible.

“I was planning to live on-campus. I rely on scholarships to pay for my housing and with off-campus housing, I have to sign a lease and it’s a lot more expensive,” said Carly Stinson a freshman at CofC. “If you’re going to school full-time, it’s hard to work full-time. To pay for an apartment downtown, most rent is over $1,000 a month which is really hard to pay for if you don’t work full time or have a really good job.”

According to rentcafe.com, as of October 2021, the average rent for the city of Charleston is $1,708 per month. A recent study conducted by apartmentlist.com shows rent prices nationally have spiked 17.8% from the same time last year.

“Students that live on-campus can of course use financial aid, and use loans, and use scholarships but you can’t use those sorts of things to pay for an apartment,” said Stinson.

Another CofC freshman, Grace Wachter says she works 25-30 hours per week on top of taking a full class load. Despite working hard to save money, she says she would not be able to stay enrolled at the college if an on-campus housing option isn’t available.

“I do not have enough to put a down payment on an apartment for next year,” said Wachter. “I’ve been saving every paycheck and using just the minimum of what I need for basic needs.”

The price of Wachter’s on-campus dorm is $3,800 for the spring 2022 semester. She uses scholarships to pay. According to CofC’s breakdown of residence hall costs per semester, $3,800 is around the median.

A third freshman, Angela Hales, is in a similar situation.

“I work at Chipotle making $13 an hour working 20 hours a week because I have class, so I can’t pay $1,000 a month,” she said.

All three students hope that the college will work to make more options available for students in circumstances like theirs.

College of Charleston declined News 2’s request for an interview but provided the following statement.

Beginning this summer, College of Charleston’s McAlister Hall will undergo major renovations resulting in the closure of this residence hall during the 2022-2023 academic year. As a result, the College is projecting that there may not be enough space for all students who wish to live on campus next year. The College continues to explore options for alternative housing solutions.  

At this time, the College is prioritizing on-campus housing for incoming freshmen and sophomores for the 2022-23 academic year.  

The College knows this situation is not ideal, which is why the College housing team notified students about this months ahead of time so that they could make alternate housing arrangements, if necessary.

On Feb. 16, the College will hold an on-campus fair featuring local apartment operators where students can learn more about off-campus housing options. The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Cougar Mall. A virtual fair for students and families is also being arranged. 

While the College cannot formally provide a single solution for all of its upperclassmen who wish to live on campus next year, a small number of on-campus spaces will be reserved for upperclassmen with extreme circumstances who are unable to live off campus. Based on communications with several large off-campus operators, space is currently available to meet the increased demand (approximately 400 students). 

College of Charleston

Students can begin filling out their on-campus housing applications on February 1st.