The College of Charleston Board of Trustees voted today to approve a cost of attendance increase for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Beginning fall semester 2018, full-time undergraduate students from South Carolina will pay $6,209 per semester. Out-of-state, full-time undergraduate students will pay $15,800 per semester. Students in the Graduate School (the University of Charleston, S.C.) will pay $6,830 per semester, and out-of-state residents will pay $17,380 per semester. All housing fees will remain at their current 2017-18 levels.

These adjustments equate to a percentage increase in the total cost of attendance of 2.1 percent for in-state students and 3.1 percent for out-of-state students.

The increases for undergraduate and graduate students will enable the College to make strategic investments in student financial aid, faculty recruitment and retention and diversity initiatives. Revenue from the tuition increases will also be used to absorb rising healthcare premiums and retirement contributions for state employees as well as support the state’s veterans and dependent tuition assistance program.

“Today’s action by the Board of Trustees enables us to enhance and enrich our student support services and our student collegiate experience,” said Board of Trustees Chair David Hay ’81.

Following the tuition increases associated with next year’s budget, it is expected that the College of Charleston will continue to rank near the middle among South Carolina’s 13 four-year public universities for in-state tuition.

President Glenn F. McConnell ’69 applauded the board’s decision. “I’m pleased that the Board of Trustees took action to strategically invest in the distinctive attributes that make the College a unique and special university,” said McConnell. “Taken together, the commitment of our faculty and staff to providing a student-focused experience, the quality and breadth of our academic programs and our unrivaled location in Charleston truly set us apart from all other schools.”