The College of Charleston Board of Trustees voted on Monday to approve a cost of attendance increase for the 2017-18 academic year.
Tuition for undergraduates will increase $306 per semester for in-state students and $421 per semester for out-of-state students. All housing and food service fees will remain at their current 2016-17 levels. These two actions, taken together, lead to the total cost of attendance rising 2.75 percent for in-state students and 2.08 percent for out-of-state residents.
David Hay ’81, chairman of the Board of Trustees, appreciated the board’s efforts to ensure the College of Charleston remains as affordable as possible while still providing it the resources needed to offer an extraordinary and valuable education.
“The Board of Trustees takes very seriously its responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars while at the same time making sure that we continue to invest in programs and services that will enhance the unique academic and student life experience we offer to our students,” says Hay. “We are confident that we have struck the appropriate balance with these modest increases.”
Beginning fall semester 2017, full-time undergraduate students from South Carolina will pay $5,999 per semester in tuition — an increase of $306. Out-of-state, full-time undergraduate students will pay $15,193 per semester in tuition — an increase of $421.
Students in the Graduate School will pay $6,599 per semester in tuition — an increase of $337. Out-of-state residents will pay $16,712 per semester in tuition — an increase of $463.
The increases for undergraduate and graduate students will enable the College to continue implementing parts of its 10-year strategic plan, which will culminate in 2020 with the 250th anniversary of the College’s founding. The strategic plan addresses efforts to strengthen the College’s academic quality, increase diversity and inclusion efforts and much more.
Following the tuition increases associated with next year’s budget, it is expected that the College of Charleston will continue to rank sixth for in-state tuition among South Carolina’s 13 four-year public universities.