Quick facts about CCU
Coastal Carolina University is a dynamic public institution located in Conway, just minutes from the resort area of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Read about CCU’s mission and values »
About CCU Students
Total Enrollment: 10,118 students *
• South Carolina residents: 49 percent
• Out-of-state residents from 45 states: 49 percent
• International students from 52 countries: 2 percent
• Student to faculty ratio: 17:1
Undergraduate students: 9,500
• South Carolina residents among first-time freshmen: 44.1 percent
• Average SAT for first-time freshmen: 1,103 (national average: 1,059)
• Average ACT for first-time freshmen: 22 (national average: 21)
• Average high school GPA for first-time freshmen: 3.69
• Students: 56 percent female, 44 percent male
Graduate students: 618
* Enrollment data from Fall 2020
About CCU Faculty and Staff
Full-time faculty with faculty rank: 506 | Faculty with doctoral/terminal degrees: 77 percent
Full-time staff: 960
Student staff: 734 (includes undergraduate positions and graduate assistantships)
About CCU Academic Programs*
Coastal Carolina University offers baccalaureate degrees through more than 95 majors. Among CCU’s graduate-level programs are 27 master’s degrees, two educational specialist degrees, and two doctoral programs: the Ph.D. in marine science: coastal and marine systems science, and the Ph.D. in education. The most popular undergraduate majors are marine science, management, exercise and sport science, and communication. CCU boasts a growing array of internship, research and international opportunities for students, as well as numerous online programs through Coastal Online. View all programs »
About the CCU Campus
The University comprises 115 main buildings on our walkable campus, comprised of 621 acres, including the Coastal Science Center and the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, located in the Atlantic Center on U.S. 501, and the General James Hackler Golf Course at Coastal Carolina University, a public 18-hole golf facility located adjacent to the campus. A 1,105-acre tract that includes a portion of Waties Island provides a natural laboratory for extensive study in marine science and wetlands biology on an Atlantic coast barrier island.
View the campus map » | View recent campus construction projects »
About CCU Tuition and Fees
Total Undergraduate Tuition, Housing/Meals *
• South Carolina residents: $26,176 per year
• Out-of-state residents: $41,930 per year
Undergraduate Tuition
• South Carolina residents: $11,640 per year
• Out-of-state residents: $27,394 per year
* Total costs for 2020-2021 include meal plan, approximate median rate for double occupancy residence halls, 2-4 bedroom apartment. Undergraduate tuition includes Fall and Spring semesters based on full-time (12-18 credit hours) and required fees; additional course fees may apply. View all costs »
About CCU Accreditations
Coastal Carolina University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the baccalaureate, master’s, specialist, and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Coastal Carolina University. All other inquiries about the University should be directed to Coastal Carolina University, P.O. Box 261954, Conway, South Carolina, 29528-6054, or 843-347-3161, not the Commission. The E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and the Spadoni College of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and is approved by the South Carolina Department of Education.
About CCU Budget
Total funds/operating budget: FY20 $248,940,510
State appropriations (recurring): 6.6 percent of operating budget
About CCU Economic Impact
$565.5 million (annual economic impact on South Carolina in 2017)
About Penny Sales Tax
Since its inception in 2009, the Penny Sales Tax has generated more than $100 million (through April 2020) for construction projects and facilities at CCU.
Athletics
NCAA Division I / Sun Belt Conference
Women’s teams: basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, indoor track and field, lacrosse (competes as member of Atlantic Sun Conference), soccer, softball, tennis, outdoor track and field, volleyball
Men’s teams: baseball, basketball, cross country, football (FBS), golf, soccer, tennis, outdoor track and field
Visit Chanticleer athletics »
The Chanticleer
The Chanticleer – a proud and fierce rooster – is the unique moniker/mascot for Coastal Carolina University’s mascot and athletics teams. The Chanticleer is derived from the crafty, quick-thinking rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” specifically, “The Nun’s Priest Tale.”
Chants Up
If you have cheered on a Coastal Carolina University sports team, participated in summer Orientation, or attended a commencement ceremony, you may have seen students raising a hand in the air to display the “Chants Up” symbol. “Chants Up” is uniquely symbolic of Chanticleer spirit.
CCU students created the Chants Up symbol to cheer on Chanticleer sports teams. While it may resemble other hand signals, the “Chants Up” symbol is significantly different and is actually a visual representation of the Chanticleer. The “Chants Up” symbol is formed with the pointer finger and thumb pinched tightly together to represent the Chanticleer beak with pointer and thumb rounded, and the other three fingers fanned out to represent the feather comb at the top of the Chanticleer’s head.
The “Chants Up” symbol gained momentum outside of Chanticleer athletics during the summer of 2012, when student Orientation leaders taught incoming students and their families the fight song and “Chants Up.” The symbol quickly became ubiquitous throughout the campus as a local show of support for CCU.
Today, “Chants Up” has become a beloved CCU tradition and is often displayed at Chanticleer sports events, at the end of the alma mater during commencement ceremonies, and as a representation of Teal Nation and Chanticleer enthusiasm.