Students
Eligible students who would like on-campus parking must apply for parking each semester. Read more about eligibility.
Eligibility to apply does not guarantee that you will be assigned a permit. Because of the fluctuating demand from semester to semester, no student is guaranteed the right to purchase a parking permit.
Special note about parking communications: Emails will be sent to your CofC email address from Campus Services (campusservices@cofc.edu). Please always check your spam folders and also mark our email address as a safe sender.
Student Eligibility
General Dates and Deadlines
Fall 2024 Parking Application Details
Spring 2024 Parking Application Details
Alternatives to Parking on Campus
Accessible Parking
Available Parking and Fees - Fall 2024
Available Parking and Fees – Summer 2024
Student Eligibility
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Students who live on campus and have fewer than 60 cumulative credit hours on file with the Office of the Registrar are not permitted to park on campus.
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Students living on campus must have 60 or more cumulative credit hours earned and on file with the Office of the Registrar at the time that assignments are made to be eligible to apply for College parking.
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Commuting students (students not living on campus), regardless of credit hours earned, are eligible to apply for College parking.
Students who are eligible to apply for parking will be assigned parking based on the number of cumulative credit hours earned and on file with the Office of the Registrar at the time that assignments are made. In the event of identical credit hours earned, applications received first will have priority.
Eligible resident students living at a qualifying campus residential address (an even-numbered, CofC-assigned Bull Street house) may request on-street residential parking (CR).
Eligibility to apply does not guarantee that you will be assigned a permit. Because of the fluctuating demand from semester to semester, no student is guaranteed the right to purchase a parking permit.
General Dates and Deadlines
Fall Semester Parking
Mid- to Late April: Current students receive email with application information for fall semester parking
Early June: Deadline to apply for student parking for the fall semester
Early to Mid-July : Fall semester parking assignments are emailed to students who applied by the deadline
Early to Mid-August: Deadline to pay for fall semester assignment; fall parking permits mailed to students who have paid for their assignment; First Come, First Served sale begins
First Day of Fall Classes: Fall parking permits become valid
Spring Semester Parking
Mid- to Late September: Current students receive email with application information for spring semester parking
Late October: Deadline to apply for student parking for the spring semester
Early to Mid-November: Spring semester parking assignments are emailed to students who applied by the deadline
Late November: Deadline to pay for spring semester assignment
December: Spring parking permits mailed to students who have paid for their assignment; First Come, First Served sale begins
First Day of Spring Classes: Spring parking permits become valid
Fall 2024 Parking Application Details
Applications for fall 2024 parking permits will be available for returning, currently enrolled students (taking spring 2024 classes) through MyPortal beginning April 23, 2024.
The deadline to apply for parking is June 3, 2024.
- If you wish to park on campus, you must apply for a fall permit – even if you currently have a spring permit.
- Parking assignments will be made based upon seniority (cumulative hours on file with the Registrar’s Office at the time assignments are made). They are not made based on the order of your completed parking application.
- Due to our limited number of parking spaces, we cannot guarantee you will be assigned to your requested lot or garage or that you will be assigned at all.
Residential Students: If you currently live in campus housing and have fewer than 60 cumulative credit hours, you will not be able to apply for your permit until your grades have posted (posting deadline is 5/7/2024 at 5 p.m.). You will be able to apply for parking the day after your account is updated, provided that MyPortal shows you to have 60 or more hours.
Spring 2024 Parking Application Details
Applications for spring 2024 parking permits were available for returning, currently enrolled students through MyPortal until October 23, 2023.
Spring 2024 parking assignments were emailed November 10, 2023, to returning students who applied prior to the application deadline.
Your assignment letter says, “waitlist,” but this is your actual assignment. If you are a returning student who applied for a permit and received a confirmation email and you haven’t received your assignment email, please email Campus Services HQ immediately.
Read your assignment email very carefully and follow all instructions.
The permit payment deadline was 5 p.m. Thursday, November 30, 2023.
- You will lose your parking assignment if you do not make your payment by the deadline.
- Your permit will be mailed to your home address directly from the vendor and will arrive between December 9 and December 24, 2023.
RESIDENTIAL STUDENTS: If you currently live in campus housing and have fewer than 60 cumulative credit hours, you were not eligible to apply for a permit during the application period, even if you will have more than 60 hours by the end of the fall 2023 semester. Residential students who will have earned at least 60 credit hours by the end of the fall 2023 semester will be eligible to purchase a permit during the first come, first served sale (see below).
Spring First Come, First Served Permit Sale
From Friday, December 8, 2023, beginning at 10 a.m., through Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST (or until all permits are sold out), the following groups will be eligible to purchase permits:
- transfer students
- new graduate students
- residential students who have 60 credit hours on file at that time
- incoming, first-year students who will not live on campus
This is an online-only sale.
All enrolled students were sent an email from Campus Services on December 7 with detailed information. Please review it carefully. Limited instructions are provided below.
Permit sales will be processed online in your parking account on a first come, first served basis. (Exceptions: motorcycle/moped permits, evening-only permits, and City Residential permits will be sold in Campus Services HQ beginning at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 4, 2024. If you are interested in one of these permits, please read your email for details.)
Instructions for online permit purchases:
Online permit sales start at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 8, 2023, and will be available until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, January 4, 2024, or until all permits are sold out.
- Log into MyPortal using your standard login.
- Click on the “Parking” tile. (Look for a large P.)
- A new window will open, titled “Customer Authentication.” Reenter your MyPortal login info.
- Select Get Permits on the bottom right of the screen. You will see a list of available parking spaces. As spaces begin to sell out, you will only see the spaces that are still available. Select your preferred permit and follow the prompts to select your vehicle and form of payment.
- You will receive an email when your permit is available for pickup at Campus Services HQ. We expect the permits to be ready by January 4. If you haven’t received this email by January 4 at 5 p.m., please contact Campus Services HQ at campusservices@cofc.edu.
Alternatives to Parking on Campus
If you are interested in securing parking through a source not affiliated with the College of Charleston, please refer to this listing of Alternative Parking spaces leased to students.
Commuting students without a parking permit should take advantage of the CARTA Express routes. CARTA Express is free to students; just show your Cougar Card to the driver upon boarding the bus. More information about CARTA Express routes and times can be found below:
Resident students are also encouraged to take advantage of CARTA bus services. All students can ride regular CARTA routes and the Airport Express route for free simply by showing their Cougar Card to the driver upon boarding the bus. For more information about CARTA routes, visit the CARTA Maps and Schedules website.
Accessible Parking
Students who require accessible parking should complete an accessible parking permit application each semester in Campus Services HQ at 162 Calhoun St. Please see the section regarding Accessible Parking for more information.
Available Parking and Fees for Fall 2024 (Subject to Change)
Surface Parking
($550 Per Semester)
- G - Rutledge-Rivers Residence Hall (12 spaces)
- H - 13 Coming Street (18 spaces)
- P - 97-107 Wentworth Street (29 spaces)
- V Lot - 61 Vanderhorst St. (32 spaces)
- W - 298-300 Meeting Street (5 spaces)
- WP - Warren Place (116 spaces)
Motorcycle/Moped Parking
($200 Per Semester)
- Designated spaces in: PP lot (MP), the north side of Berry Residence Hall next to McAlister (MM), in the AD Lot near the Addlestone Library (MA), and next to the Treasurer's Office on Calhoun Street (MW).
- Motorcycle permits are valid only in designated motorcycle spaces.
Perimeter Garage Parking
($500 Per Semester Plus $20 Refundable Card Deposit With Shuttle)
- AG - Aquarium Garage at Washington and Calhoun Streets (300 spaces) FOURTH FLOOR AND ABOVE ONLY
City Residential Parking
($10.00 Per Semester)
- CR - On-Street City Residential Parking (ELIGIBLE RESIDENT STUDENTS ONLY)
Student Handicap Accessible Parking
($300 Per Semester)
Student Evening Permit
($200 Per Semester)
- Valid in any STUDENT surface lot after 3:00 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.
- Not valid on motorcycles.
- Resident students are not eligible to purchase an Evening permit.
Student Evening Permit: PG Garage
($250 Per Semester)
- Valid in PG Garage ONLY after 2:50 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.
- This permit is not valid in any other location.
- Resident students are not eligible to purchase a PG Evening permit.
- Not valid on motorcycles
Student Perimeter Surface Permit: LK Lot
($300 Per Semester)
• Valid in the LK Lot ONLY, which is located at 176 Lockwood Blvd. (between the Marriott and the Charleston Police Department)
• This permit is not valid in any other location at any other time.
• LK Lot is located several blocks from campus. The CARTA DASH route #213 services this area, but students will need to allow 20-30 minutes to get to campus from Lockwood.
• Not valid on motorcycles/mopeds
Available Parking and Fees – Maymester and Summer I and II 2024
Taking summer classes? Here’s what you need to know about purchasing a summer parking permit.
- There is not an application period in advance of the summer terms. All 2024 summer permits will be sold at Campus Services HQ beginning Monday, May 6, at 8:30 a.m. We do not sell out of summer permits, and we rarely sell out of any particular lot or garage over the summer. If you do not need your summer permit starting May 13 (the effective date for summer 2024 permits), you may purchase one any time after May 6. Please do not worry that we will be sold out of spaces in the core of campus if you wait.
- You will need to bring your vehicle registration with you to Campus Services HQ to get a summer permit.
- Summer permits will be valid beginning on the first day of Maymester, which is May 13, 2024. Summer permits expire on the last day of Summer II exams, which is August 6, 2024.
- Unlike the spring and fall semesters, there is no minimum number of earned credit hours required to be eligible to purchase a summer permit.
- The cost for a summer permit covers all three summer terms: Maymester, Summer I and Summer II. If you do not need a permit for all three terms, you can request a refund or will be charged a pro-rated price:
- If you purchase the permit in advance of Maymester or Summer I and return it prior to the Summer II term, you will be eligible for a pro-rated refund. To get the refund, you must peel the permit off of your vehicle and bring it with you to Campus Services HQ. Refund checks are issued by the Controller’s Office and usually take 2-3 weeks to process.
- If you purchase the permit for one or both of the summer terms after the conclusion of the Maymester term, you will be charged a pro-rated price.
- For the exact locations of the lots and garages listed below, please review the parking map.
Summer Core Surface Parking
$300 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms
- Available lots: G, H, P, W, WP
Summer Core Garage Parking
$300 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms
- PG
Summer Perimeter Garage Parking
$250 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms (Plus $20 Refundable Card Deposit)
- AG - Aquarium Garage at Washington and Calhoun Streets (200 spaces) FOURTH FLOOR AND ABOVE ONLY
Summer Motorcycle/Moped Parking
$100 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms
- Designated spaces in: PP lot (MP), the north side of Berry Residence Hall next to McAlister (MM: not available summer 2023), in the AD Lot near the Addlestone Library (MA), and next to the Treasurer's Office on Calhoun Street (MW).
- Motorcycle permits are valid only in designated motorcycle spaces.
Summer Student Handicap Accessible Parking
$125 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms
Summer Student Evening Permit: PG Garage - $200 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms
- Valid in PG Garage ONLY after 2:50 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.
- This permit is not valid in any other location.
- Resident students are not eligible to purchase a PG Evening permit.
- Not valid on motorcycles/mopeds
Summer Student Evening Permit: Surface Lots
$150 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms
- Valid in any STUDENT surface lot after 3:00 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.
- Not valid on motorcycles.
- Resident students are not eligible to purchase an Evening permit.
Summer Student Perimeter Surface Permit: LK Lot
$100 Total Includes All Three Summer Terms
- Valid in the LK Lot ONLY, which is located at 176 Lockwood Blvd. (between the Marriott and the Charleston Police Department).
- This permit is not valid in any other location at any other time.
- LK Lot is located several blocks from campus. The CARTA DASH route #213 services this area, but students will need to allow 20-30 minutes to get to campus from Lockwood.
- Not valid on motorcycles/mopeds