First Year Impact Program

The College of Charleston’s First Year Impact Program is designed to assist you in creating a solid foundation on which you can build to reach your academic goals and earn your degree. The program provides clear expectations and recommendations based on a comprehensive review of successful students and a collaborative campus-wide support network.

Requirements

  • Students are required to complete 24 credits at the College with a 2.0 GPA in the fall and spring semesters of the first year. Students are encouraged to enroll in 15-16 credit hours per term and may withdraw from only one course a semester. Students should not enroll in more than 16 credit hours per semester.
  • Students are required to enroll in a First Year Experience (FYE) Seminar or Learning Community in the first semester and are provided with an opportunity for priority enrollment.
  • Students are required to meet with a Peer Academic Coach (PAC) in the fall and spring semesters. Meetings occur weekly and provide the opportunity for students to receive personalized support. The format of this interaction in the spring will depend on each student’s academic performance in the fall.
  • Students are required to meet with an academic advisor at least twice each semester.
  • Students earning between a 2.0 and a 3.0 in the fall semester will have their requirements revised for the spring semester.

Recommendations

  • We recommend that students not work more than 15 hours per week. We further recommend that students seek on-campus employment.
  • We recommend that students attend an early summer orientation. (A special required session is held during each orientation for First Year Impact students and their parents.)
  • We recommend that students complete the English requirement in the first year.
  • We recommend that students live on campus.

Students who meet the requirements of the First Year Impact Scholars Learning Contract will be offered the opportunity to opt-in to continue in the prestigious Impact Scholars Program. This program provides opportunities for students to explore their individual talents to develop their overall levels of well-being while participating in high-impact learning experiences. These efforts will prepare students for graduation and their chosen career fields.

Students who are unable to meet the requirements stipulated in the First Year Impact Scholars Learning Contract will not be allowed to continue and will need to earn at least 30 credit hours at another institution before returning to the College of Charleston.

For more information, visit capp.cofc.edu or email capp@cofc.edu.