Coastal Carolina University
Conway, South Carolina · Public · 75.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 36/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Coastal Carolina University sits in Conway, South Carolina, about 10 miles from Myrtle Beach. It enrolls just over 10,000 students and operates as a mid-size regional public university, drawing heavily from the Southeast and from students who want a beach-adjacent college experience. On ROI, it scores 36 out of 100 - Below Benchmark - and that score reflects several compounding problems. Average earnings six years out land at $33,500. The debt-to-earnings ratio sits at 0.709 - above 0.5 and climbing toward ranges that signal meaningful financial strain. Net price of roughly $14,000 per year is low for the region, and income-qualified students can attend for well under $10,000 per year, so cost is not the culprit. The problem is outcomes: too many students leave without a degree, and those who graduate in the most popular programs earn wages that don't recover debt quickly. Coastal's strongest programs by first-year earnings - nursing at $84,000, finance at $47,000 - are real differentiators, but they represent a small share of graduates. The university's largest programs by headcount include kinesiology, business administration, marketing, and communications - all of which carry D or F ROI grades and produce median first-year earnings in the $28,000-$36,000 range. For students in those programs, the financial math is hard to make work.
How Coastal Carolina University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score36/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period16 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Coastal Carolina University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $11,640/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,628/yr |
| Average net price | $13,966/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $55,864 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $47,258 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,750 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $252 |
| Estimated payback period | 16 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 48.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,377 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $11,640/year ($29,628/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $13,966/year, or roughly $55,864 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $9,563/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $20,219/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,750, which works out to about $252 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,500) and comes to 0.71, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $9,563 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $10,292 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,938 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $16,350 |
| $110,001+ | $20,219 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
At roughly $9,600 per year, Coastal Carolina is affordable for low-income students. Four years of tuition at that rate totals around $38,000 - a meaningful but manageable number if the student completes. The problem is the 48.5% completion rate. For students in this income bracket, not finishing carries a particularly sharp consequence: leaving with debt and no credential, which is the worst financial outcome in higher education. Students at this income level who can manage the application process should strongly consider nursing or finance, where earnings justify the investment, and should have a concrete plan for staying enrolled.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families pay roughly $12,900 per year at Coastal Carolina, totaling about $51,800 over four years. Against average six-year earnings of $33,500, that's a slow recovery - particularly in the university's most popular programs.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Higher-income families pay around $20,200 per year. At that price, the case for Coastal Carolina depends almost entirely on the program. Nursing and finance can justify it. Kinesiology, communications, theater, and most of the liberal arts programs cannot - the earnings simply don't support the outlay at that cost point.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Coastal Carolina University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $50,228 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $59,946 | C |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | $45,323 | D |
| Psychology | $45,469 | F |
| Marketing | $62,373 | D |
| Communication and Media Studies | $51,010 | D |
| Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations | $56,863 | D |
| Teacher Education | $46,581 | C |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $38,460 | F |
| Public Health | $48,238 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is Coastal Carolina's clearest high-earnings option, with nine graduates reporting median first-year earnings of $84,021. That number is the strongest in the institution by a wide margin.
Finance and Financial Management
Finance graduates - 66 in the cohort - report median first-year earnings of $46,911, rising to $70,181 by year four. That trajectory is one of the stronger arcs in the institution. Median debt of $26,000 with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.554 is workable. Finance is a program where regional connections and internship proximity to Myrtle Beach's hospitality and real estate industries can matter. Students who build strong finance networks in coastal South Carolina can make this program pay.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business administration is the university's largest single program by graduates, with 176 completers. First-year earnings average $41,953, rising to $59,946 at four years. Students who use the major to build specific skills - accounting, financial analysis, operations systems - fare better than those who treat it as a general-purpose credential.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology is the university's second-largest program by graduates, with 215 completers, and it carries a D grade. First-year earnings average $27,920, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.967 - nearly dollar-for-dollar debt relative to annual earnings. Most kinesiology graduates end up in fitness training, physical therapy assistant roles, or return to school for graduate credentials. Students interested in physical therapy or athletic training should either plan explicitly for graduate school (with the cost implications) or choose a program with a documented DPT pipeline and strong clinical placement rates.
Marketing
Marketing sends 129 graduates per cohort into first-year earnings of $35,924 - a D grade. Debt runs $26,000 with a D2E of 0.724, meaning graduates spend roughly eight-and-a-half months of gross income per year on student debt before interest. Students set on marketing would benefit from programs with strong agency partnerships, certifications embedded in the curriculum, or strong alumni networks in their target market.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 57.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 62.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 62.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 68.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Coastal Carolina University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 75.3% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 520-600 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 530-620 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 21-26 |
| Enrollment | 10,377 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 26.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $9,103 |
Coastal Carolina admits about 75% of applicants, making it accessible to a wide range of students. There are no posted SAT or ACT ranges in the data, which reflects the university's test-flexible stance. Admission itself is not a meaningful filter here - academic preparation and major selection matter far more to outcomes than getting in. Students who are academically borderline should focus energy on choosing a program with strong earnings data rather than worrying about the application process.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina University (this school) | 36 | $13,966 | $47,258 |
| Citadel Military College of South Carolina | 85 | $20,723 | $72,085 |
| College of Charleston | 57 | $18,960 | $56,416 |
| Idaho State University | 38 | $12,193 | $45,608 |
| University of Central Oklahoma | 38 | $18,309 | $48,351 |
| University of South Alabama | 37 | $17,648 | $49,379 |
Who Thrives Here
Coastal Carolina makes the most sense for students with a clear path into nursing, accounting, or finance who are either South Carolina residents or otherwise eligible for low net-price attendance. Students who thrive here tend to want a lively social environment and proximity to the beach, and they value the low sticker price over national rankings. It is a poor fit for students undecided on a major or likely to drift toward kinesiology, communication, or theater - programs where post-graduation earnings rarely recoup debt at a pace that supports financial stability.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Coastal Carolina University scores 36/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $13,966 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $47,258 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 16 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: its 48.5% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 62.5% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,750 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Coastal Carolina University: Common Questions
Is Coastal Carolina University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Coastal Carolina University scores 36/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $13,966 a year after aid against $47,258 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 16 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Coastal Carolina University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $13,966 a year, or roughly $55,864 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Coastal Carolina University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $47,258 ten years after enrolling, roughly $5,458 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Coastal Carolina University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 16 years for Coastal Carolina University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Coastal Carolina University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,750, against average earnings of $33,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Coastal Carolina University?
The six-year graduation rate is 48.5%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.