Public · University

Coastal Carolina University

Conway, South Carolina · Small city

75.3%
Admit rate
$13,966
Avg net price
48%
Graduation rate
$47,258
Median earnings

Coastal Carolina University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Conway, South Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 10,377 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 10,377 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 75% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Sun Belt ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Coastal Carolina University's admitted students.

Admit rate
75.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
1050–1220
Avg GPA (est.)
3.30

Enter a test score to see where you land against Coastal Carolina University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Coastal Carolina University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Conway, South Carolina

Conway is a city in and the county seat of Horry County, South Carolina, United States. Conway is one of the oldest towns in South Carolina. Early English colonists named the village "Kings Town" but soon changed it to "Kingston". The town was founded in 1732 as part of Royal Governor Robert Johnson's Township Scheme. Conway is the home of Kimbel Library and the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery at Coastal Carolina University. The gallery houses differing exhibits throughout the year. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
10 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Myrtle Beach (MYR) · major hub

How Coastal Carolina University compares

Selectivity75.3%

More selective than 54% · #17 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

SAT average1143

Higher than 43%

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 36% · #17 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention77%

Higher than 54%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,258

Higher than 31% · #14 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$13,966

Cheaper than 77% · #7 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$23,750

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment10,377

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Coastal Carolina University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.

Coastal Carolina University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

10,914students
  • Undergraduate10,37795%
  • Graduate5375%

Undergraduates by gender

10,377undergrads
  • Women5,54953%
  • Men4,82847%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White74%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic7.0%
  • Asian1.0%
  • Other or multiracial6.5%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
10,377
Graduate enrollment
537
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
27%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$55,786
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$81,927
Endowment
$57,556,431

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,775 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Carolina31%
  • Other U.S. states68%
  • International0.9%

A national draw — only 31% of first-years come from South Carolina; 68% arrive from other states.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
75.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1050–1220
SAT average
1143
SAT reading
530–620
SAT math
520–600
ACT composite
21–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.30

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,640
Out-of-state tuition
$29,628
Room & board
$12,146
Books & supplies
$1,250
Total cost of attendance
$26,692
Average net price
$13,966

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
48%
Graduated on time (4 years)
37%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
32%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,070
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,258
Median debt at graduation
$23,750
Students with federal loans
57%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
37%
Low-income (Pell)
46%
First-generation
45%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
5,199
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
50%
Housing charge (year)
$7,340
Meal plan (year)
$5,200
Application fee
$45
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Sun Belt Conference
Varsity athletes
540 (273 men · 267 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)162
Football123
Soccer57
Baseball42
Lacrosse34
Basketball30
Softball24
Beach Volleyball19
Golf17
Tennis17
Volleyball15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
22
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (11,348 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

10reported offenses a year
7.3 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
5.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.0
Aggravated assault
1.7
Burglary
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,563
$30–48k
$10,292
$48–75k
$12,938
$75–110k
$16,350
$110k+
$20,219

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$56,185

$12,938/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

58%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,502
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 58% — get grant money from Coastal Carolina University itself, averaging $8,502, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,653 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$47,258
Typical debt at graduation
$23,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$43,976
Men
$51,423

Men out-earn women by $7,447 (17%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
91°F
Winter low
35°F
Annual rain
55.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.97.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Conway, SC US station (3.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Coastal Carolina University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Coastal Carolina University side by side →

Colleges near Coastal Carolina University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.