The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, and the country's oldest municipal college.

The founders of the College of Charleston included six Founding Fathers of the United States, including three who signed the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Heyward Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge; and three who signed the Constitution of the United States: Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and John Rutledge.

The College of Charleston was founded in 1770, making it the 13th-oldest institution of higher education and oldest municipal college in the nation. The college's original structure, located at the site of what is now Randolph Hall, was designed similar to a barracks. In March 1785, the South Carolina General Assembly issued a charter to the college, which officially opened in 1790 and hosted its first commencement in 1794. The first president of the college was Robert Smith, who served in the position from 1790 to 1797.

A second charter was issued by the general assembly in 1791 stipulating that the college would not discriminate on the basis of religion. During the Antebellum era, further development efforts in the college resulted in the construction of Randolph Hall and the President's House, both of which were built using slave labor.

In 1837, the Charleston municipal government assumed control over the college. During the mid-20th century, several African Americans attempted to apply to the racially segregated college as part of the Double V campaign against racism in the United States, but they were all rejected. Though the college became a private institution to avoid being racially integrated during the civil rights movement, black students were admitted starting in 1967 as a result of external pressure.

The College of Charleston's main campus in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, includes 156 buildings, a mix of modern and historic buildings built between 1770 and 2015. The average building is over 100 years old, and 20 buildings are under historic, protective easements. The College of Charleston downtown campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is William Blacklock House.

Outside of downtown Charleston, the campus includes the Grice Marine Lab on James Island, the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Center and the Patriots Point Athletic Complex in Mount Pleasant and the 881-acre (357 ha) Stono Preserve.

The College of Charleston was named "America's Most Beautiful College Campus" by Travel + Leisure in 2017, a title it also held in 2019 as Country Living magazine's "Most Beautiful Campus" in the South. More recently, MSN named it the most beautiful campus in South Carolina in 2021