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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 10 miles to Myrtle Beach, SC
- To the ocean
- 10 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Myrtle Beach (MYR) · major hub
How Coastal Carolina University compares
More selective than 54% · #17 most selective of 29 in South Carolina
Higher than 43%
Higher than 36% · #17 of 35 in South Carolina
Higher than 54%
Higher than 31% · #14 of 35 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 77% · #7 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina
Lower than 46%
Lower than 23%
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
- Undergraduate10,37795%
- Graduate5375%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Conway, SC US station (3.6 mi from campus).
What Coastal Carolina University graduates study — and earn
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 →
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, Tennessee · Remote town · 71 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 8,698
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1151
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $49k
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina · Distant town · 41 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 10,024
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1157
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $49k
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee · Midsize city · 1 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 10,074
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1147
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $51k
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky · Distant town · 23 mi to Lexington
- Students
- 12,318
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- 1149
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $46k
University of South Alabama
Mobile, Alabama · Midsize city · 8 mi to Mobile
- Students
- 8,879
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1147
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $49k
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee · Midsize city · 32 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 16,301
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1121
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $49k
Colleges near Coastal Carolina University
Horry-Georgetown Technical College
Conway, SC · Public · Certificate · 6,274 students
Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach, SC · Private for-profit · Associate · 743 students
Strand College of Hair Design
Myrtle Beach, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 70 students
Academy for Careers and Technology
Mullins, SC · Public · Certificate · 37 students
Southeastern Community College
Whiteville, NC · Public · Associate · 820 students
Francis Marion University
Florence, SC · Public · Bachelor's · 2,628 students
Williamsburg Technical College
Kingstree, SC · Public · Certificate · 448 students
Brunswick Community College
Bolivia, NC · Public · Associate · 1,211 students
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.















