College of Charleston’s continued growth creates challenges beyond the classroom

By Matilda Nordensved

The College of Charleston welcomed its largest incoming freshman class in history this year - topping 2,600 new students, which forced the institution to seek state approval to spend up to $5.2 million on hotel leases to accommodate displaced returning students. 

For students pushed off campus to search for private accommodations, finding affordable housing in the historic district has become a high-stakes ordeal.

“The process to find housing is just like going to war,” senior special education major Sarah Needel said.

With average rents for a single-person studio apartment in downtown Charleston hovering around $1,900 per month, student rental costs are rapidly rising alongside broader inflation. 

“I’ve also seen the price of housing go up in the last three years,” Needel said, reflecting on her off-campus living expenses. “The amount that I pay for rent has gone up probably $500 since the first house I lived in.”

Rising housing costs can also force students and faculty off the historic peninsula into outlying neighborhoods or surrounding areas like Mount Pleasant and West Ashley. 

Professor Tiffany Carbonneau stated that “the cost of living has been the biggest challenge,” which has forced her to live farther from campus.

Carbonneau said her morning commute across town can take around 45 minutes.

As housing choices push residents farther out, commuting into the landlocked city center creates significant transit headaches.

Emily Todd, a senior history major, feels as though “traffic has gotten worse since I first got here.”

The gridlock is noticeable on all routes, but crossing major thoroughfares and urban bridges, such as the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, is particularly taxing for daily commuters. 

Getting over the bridge “is just rough,” Todd said.

Parking presents another obstacle for the CofC community as historic infrastructure provides limited space for vehicles. 

“Parking down here is probably the worst thing ever,” Carbonneau mentioned, pointing out that even short trips near campus require high parking fees. 

Todd agreed with the sentiment, describing downtown parking as “a nightmare.”

Despite these logistical hurdles, campus life continues to draw new students, creating a vibrant atmosphere across the institution. 

“It’s really sort of exciting to be on a campus that has just a lot of energy,” Carbonneau noted.

This influx of students has also allowed academic programs and campus groups to expand.

Needel observed this growth within her own organization, noting that her sorority chapter's size doubled from 140 to 285 members.

“I think in a lot of ways that is really good,” Needle said regarding the expansion of campus organizations.

However, because the campus is constrained by water, historic preservation laws, and flood zones, physical expansion remains tightly restricted. 

As enrollment continues to grow, the College faces the ongoing challenge of accommodating more students in an area where physical space is nearly exhausted. 

“I don’t know how much more you can develop in the peninsula,” Carbonneau said.