Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Coastal Carolina University

Students comparing Coastal Carolina University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Conway, South Carolina10,377 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 46Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Coastal Carolina University: U.S. News ranks it #34 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1189 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #912 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 10,377 undergraduates, admits 75.3% of applicants, and posts a 48.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $29,628; aid recipients pay $13,966 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,258.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
75.3%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$13,966

67% below the $41,774 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$47,258

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
48.5%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,750

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1050–1220

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Coastal Carolina ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (South)#34of 135Regional univ. (South)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1189of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#912of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Coastal Carolina's position moves 54 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina University is a public institution in Conway, South Carolina. Federal data show 77.4% first-year retention and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $13,966 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $41,774 sticker cost against $13,966 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Coastal Carolina University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$11,640

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$29,628

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,146

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $41,774 a year, but the average family pays $13,966 — a 67% difference. 26.2% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Coastal Carolina's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    16:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    77.4%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    10,377

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Coastal Carolina: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $29,628 and on-campus room and board is $12,146, for a published total of $41,774 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $13,966.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 75.3%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Mary Washington

    Fredericksburg, VAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Mary Washington: U.S. News ranks it #132 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #316 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #500 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #725 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #12 Best College Theater. It enrolls 3,566 undergraduates, admits 79.8% of applicants, and posts a 66.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $27,560; aid recipients pay $20,667 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,613.

    Acceptance rate
    79.8%
    Average net price
    $20,667
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $60,613
    6-yr graduation rate
    66.4%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#132 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#316 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#500 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    3,566 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 47 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of North Carolina at Greensboro

    Greensboro, NCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of North Carolina at Greensboro: U.S. News ranks it #198 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #103 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #380 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #271 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1375 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 14,062 undergraduates, admits 88.5% of applicants, and posts a 56.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $24,012; aid recipients pay $10,965 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $48,160.

    Acceptance rate
    88.5%
    Average net price
    $10,965
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $48,160
    6-yr graduation rate
    56.3%
    US News · National universities#198 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#103 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#380 of 500+4 more on profile

    14,062 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 46 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Nicholls State University

    Thibodaux, LAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Nicholls State University: U.S. News ranks it #72 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1068 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #343 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 4,737 undergraduates, admits 90.8% of applicants, and posts a 53.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $9,242; aid recipients pay $12,947 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $45,454.

    Acceptance rate
    90.8%
    Average net price
    $12,947
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $45,454
    6-yr graduation rate
    53.8%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#72 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1068 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#343 of 2,605

    4,737 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 46 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Coastal Carolina against these