Coastal Carolina University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Orangeburg, South Carolina · Public · Open access
Coastal Carolina University is a public university in Orangeburg, South Carolina that admits about 82% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $18,268 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Biology, General, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General and Criminal Justice and Corrections, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 8.5 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Coastal Carolina University is a public institution located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. For the most recent reporting cycle, Coastal Carolina University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 82%. Admitted students typically post an ACT composite around 17. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $18,268 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Coastal Carolina University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Coastal Carolina University?
Coastal Carolina University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Coastal Carolina University typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
How much does Coastal Carolina University actually cost?
Published tuition is $11,060 for in-state students and $21,750 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $9,000 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $18,268 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 68% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
Most popular majors at Coastal Carolina University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Coastal Carolina University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Biology, General, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General and Criminal Justice and Corrections. Across all programs, Coastal Carolina University confers roughly 188 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Biology, General program report a median income of about $38,985 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, General | 41 | $38,985 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 31 | $35,649 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 24 | $45,814 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 21 | $43,968 |
| Psychology, General | 20 | $45,463 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 18 | $38,249 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 18 | $40,526 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 15 | — |
Is Coastal Carolina University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Coastal Carolina University disclosed 25 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 8.5 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 8 violent offenses and 1 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in South Carolina parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Coastal Carolina University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Coastal Carolina University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Coastal Carolina University
What GPA do I need for Coastal Carolina University?
Coastal Carolina University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Coastal Carolina University typically admit?
Coastal Carolina University does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does Coastal Carolina University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Coastal Carolina University after grants and scholarships is $18,268 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Coastal Carolina University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Coastal Carolina University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Coastal Carolina University?
Coastal Carolina University accepts about 82% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Coastal Carolina University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Coastal Carolina University is a public institution located in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
What are the most popular majors at Coastal Carolina University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Coastal Carolina University by annual graduates are Biology, General, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General and Criminal Justice and Corrections. The school awards about 188 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Coastal Carolina University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Coastal Carolina University reported 25 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 8.5 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.