Launch | Move-In & Welcome Week
Your final stretch from accepted to all-in.
You've prepared. You've connected. Now it's time to launch into the semester. Move in, meet your people, and step into your first class already feeling like you've been here for months.
Launch runs Thursday, August 27 through Sunday, August 30, rolling straight into your first day of classes and Welcome Week. It's more than a move-in schedule, it's your welcome into a community that's already in your corner. By the time you sit down in your first class, you won't just know where your rooms are. You'll know your people, your places, and that you belong here. That's the whole point of a college that's On the Rise: you don't just enroll, you put down roots. Below is a taste of what's ahead; the full schedule arrives later this summer.
The Launch Experience
Thursday · August 27
Arrival & Check-In
All new transfer and first-year students arrive and check in at College Place. You'll get your name tag, a detailed Launch schedule, and more. Students living on campus pick up their room key and move in, and from there it's onboarding sessions, traditions, and welcome events designed to make campus feel like home fast.
Commuter Students | Check in 1:00–2:00 PM, then join the 2:30 PM commuter meeting before stepping into the day's activities alongside everyone else.
A note for families. Visiting family and supporters will head out around 3:00 PM so new students can begin Launch. It's a big moment, and it's the start of a promise: from here, your student is surrounded by people whose whole job is to help them thrive. Thank you for trusting us with them.
Friday – Sunday · August 28–30
Find Your People & Your Places
The heart of Launch. This is where campus stops being just a place and starts being yours, your hall, your people, your spots.
- Find your people - the ones you'll be texting "where are you" for the next four years
- Hit your first real CC traditions (the kind you only get to do once)
- Get in the official class photo - you're part of this class now, permanently
- Walk your schedule so day one isn't a campus-wide scavenger hunt
- Sit in on the sessions that actually make first semester make sense - academics, wellness, getting involved
- Catch a concert at Finlay Park
- Link up with upper-class students and mentors who've already walked this road and genuinely want to see you win
Sunday Finale · Alpha Service
Launch closes with Alpha Service, all new students in one room the night before classes start. It's the still moment in the middle of a loud week: a chance to breathe, reset, and actually take in that you made it here before the work begins. It's a reflective, spiritual tradition, and you're welcome exactly as you are, whatever you believe. The look: all white, or a white top with dark bottoms, and a whole class in white, together, genuinely hits different. Dress it up. Rise to it.
By the end of Launch, you won't just know your schedule. You'll know your people, your places, and exactly where you belong.
Monday · August 31
You're a Koala. Begin.
The first day of classes, and the start of Welcome Week, a full slate of events to keep the energy going as you settle into the rhythm of the semester.
Welcome Week
Week one isn't a warm-up.
The first week goes all the way in.
| Mon · Aug 31 The Cookout Big Koala Cookout First meal as a whole class. Real food, none of the first-day awkwardness. | Mon · Aug 31 Three channels, one dance floor, zero noise complaints. Take the headphones off and everyone's singing a different song. | Tue · Sep 1 Shaved ice on the lawn at golden hour. Low stakes, high reward. | Wed · Sep 2 Every club, team, and org in one place. Find your people in under an hour. |
Wed · Sep 2 A truck loaded with consoles, parked right on campus. Yes, really. | Thu · Sep 3 Someone's getting hypnotized. Could be you. Could be your roommate. Bring it up all year. | Fri · Sep 4 Games, music, and the Green at peak energy. Show up between classes. | Fri · Sep 4 Pick a side, the whole campus is the field. Bragging rights last till spring. |
Before You Arrive
Find your move-in time
Look up your room assignment
If you're living on campus and have submitted your Residential Intent Form, log in to Koala Connection to find your room. The first digit of your room number is your floor, room 100 is the first floor, 200 the second, 300 the third.
- Go to kc.columbiasc.edu
- Username: your Student ID number (e.g., 123456). No ID on hand? Contact your Admissions counselor.
- Password: use the reset link if it's your first login or you've forgotten it, reset instructions go to your Columbia College email.
- Open Campus Life → Residence Life → "View your residence information."
Thursday check-in windows
New first-year students in McNair arrive by floor:
- 3rd Floor McNair | 8:30–10:00 AM
- 2nd Floor McNair | 10:00–11:30 AM
- 1st Floor McNair | 11:30 AM–1:00 PM
Check In Times for Transfers & Commuters
- New transfers (all other halls) | 1:00–2:00 PM
- Commuter students | 1:00–2:00 PM
- Your Clearance Checklist
Before you can pick up your room key, make sure these items are complete:
- Financial Clearance — Tuition account settled in full or payment arrangement in place (20% down payment required to activate a plan). Don't wait until the last minute, reach out to fa@columbiasc.edu early if you have questions.
- Course Registration — You must be registered for at least 12 credit hours to live on campus. If you haven't registered yet, contact your advisor or css@columbiasc.edu.
- Final Official Transcripts — New first-year and transfer students: your final transcript must be received and processed before move-in. Contact your admissions counselor if you need help requesting it.
Additional clearance items may be communicated via your Columbia College email as we get closer to Launch. Check your inbox regularly.
- What to Bring (and What to Leave at Home)
We've put together a packing list with everything you need for your residence hall — bedding, school supplies, personal items, and the things most students forget. We've also included what NOT to bring (trust us on this one). Download the list, share it with your family, and start planning early.
- Move-In Day — What to Expect
Every student starts at Check-In. Residential students: once you're cleared, our move-in crew helps you unload and get settled.
- For Parents & Families
This day is big for you, too, and we've planned for that. During check-in, parents and family members briefly meet college leadership and others who will support your student, ask any remaining questions, and feel confident as you head home (around 3:00 PM). You raised them for this moment. We'll take it from here.
- Accessing Your Student Accounts
Log into Koala Connection (KC) to view your academic, financial, and housing information. Check your Columbia College email for your login credentials and setup instructions. Once logged in, go to Campus Life → Residence Life to see your building, room number, meal plan, and roommate info. You should also have Canvas downloaded on your phone and your Columbia College email active and checked regularly — this is how we communicate everything from here on out.
- Sending Things Ahead? (Campus Mail & Packages)
You don't have to fit everything in the car! Columbia College has a Campus Post Office on the main floor of Harrelson Student Center — ship boxes ahead of move-in and they'll be waiting for you. The Director of Postal Services assigns campus mailboxes to residential students who stop by in person (preferred) to ask for a box. If you need to email to request a box, email postoffice@columbiasc.edu from your Columbia College account and include your Student ID Number.
We receive packages from all major delivery services. It is also possible to send packages via UPS, FedEx, and USPS, and postage is available for purchase. Free packaging supplies are available, including:
- Bubble wrap
- Shipping Peanuts
- Priority boxes and envelopes
- Parcel paper and packing tape
While you can check your campus mailbox at any time, the Campus Post Office window hours are Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 2:00 - 5:00 PM.
Student Address Format:
Your Full Name
Columbia College
1301 Columbia College Drive
MSC (Your Mailbox Number)
Columbia, SC 29203