A Parent’s Complete Guide to Coastal Carolina University (2026-2027)
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Jump to
- What is the one thing every Coastal Carolina University parent needs to know before move-in?
- Quick Facts for Coastal Carolina University Families
- A Note on Chanticleers Identity and Financial Aid
- Getting to Conway and Myrtle Beach
- What do parents need to know about Coastal Carolina University move-in day 2026?
- The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Might Live
- How much does Coastal Carolina University cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
- Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand: What Parents Need to Know
- When is Coastal Carolina University Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
- How can parents support their Coastal Carolina University student’s mental health?
- Who do Coastal Carolina University parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
- Coastal Carolina’s Academic Strengths
- Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
- You Are a Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Family Now
- What is Coastal Carolina University’s graduation rate?
- Academic Calendar
- What to Pack for Coastal Carolina University
What is the one thing every Coastal Carolina University parent needs to know before move-in?
Coastal Carolina University was established in 1954 as a branch of the University of South Carolina serving the Horry County region of the South Carolina coast, and became an independent university in 1993.
In the 72 years since its founding, CCU has grown from a regional branch campus into a comprehensive university of approximately 11,000 students, offering programs from marine science and resort tourism management through education, nursing, and the performing arts in a campus set in the Conway Coastal Plain 10 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean.
Conway is a city of approximately 25,000 people in Horry County, situated on the Waccamaw River approximately 10 miles west of Myrtle Beach via US-501. The Myrtle Beach area, known as the Grand Strand (a 60-mile stretch of Atlantic Ocean beach and resort development from Little River south to Georgetown County), is one of the major coastal resort destinations on the East Coast, with the tourism and hospitality economy that creates both significant summer employment opportunities for CCU students and a community context that is unusually hospitality-focused for a university setting.
The CCU campus itself has grown significantly in the past two decades, with new academic buildings, student housing, and athletics facilities creating a contemporary residential campus environment that is more traditional university in character than the beach resort setting might suggest. The combination of a developing traditional campus with the beach and resort cultural environment 10 miles east creates an undergraduate experience that is specific to the Grand Strand in ways that no other university in the Carolinas can replicate.
The CCU Chanticleers baseball program has been one of the most nationally competitive in the Sun Belt Conference, with multiple conference championships and national tournament appearances that have brought the CCU name to national attention in college baseball. The sun belt conference athletics culture, the beach setting, and the rapidly developing campus combine to make Coastal Carolina one of the most distinctive Sun Belt Conference institutions.
Quick Facts for Coastal Carolina University Families
| Family Weekend | Coastal Carolina Family Weekend 2026 is October 2 to 4, 2026. |
| Location | Conway, SC 29528 |
| Enrollment | ~11,000 students |
| Type | Public University, Sun Belt Conference |
| In-State Tuition (2026-27) | ~$11,500/year (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Out-of-State Tuition (2026-27) | ~$27,000/year (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Room and Board | ~$12,000-$14,000/year (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Total Cost (in-state) | ~$26,000-$28,000/year (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Total Cost (out-of-state) | ~$43,000-$45,000/year (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Graduation Rate | ~55% (6-year) |
| Median Earnings (10 years post-grad) | ~$39,000 (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Nearest Airport | MYR (Myrtle Beach International, 20 minutes) |
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A Note on Chanticleers Identity and Financial Aid
Coastal Carolina’s athletic teams are the Chanticleers, competing in the Sun Belt Conference at the Division I FBS level in football and Division I across all sports. The colors are teal, bronze, and black.
The football program plays at Brooks Stadium (a 21,000-seat on-campus stadium), and the baseball program at Springs Brooks Stadium has been the most nationally competitive CCU athletic program, with College World Series appearances and consistent national rankings.
Financial aid at CCU is need-based and merit-based through federal, South Carolina state, and institutional programs. South Carolina residents should verify eligibility for the LIFE Scholarship and other state programs. Contact coastal.edu/financial-aid for current programs.
Getting to Conway and Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) is approximately 20 minutes from the CCU campus via US-501 east, served by American, Delta, United, Southwest, Spirit, Allegiant, and other carriers, including seasonal charter flights that make MYR one of the more comprehensive smaller coastal airports in the Southeast.
The resort tourism nature of Myrtle Beach means MYR has unusually direct service from a wide range of East Coast and Midwest origin cities.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is approximately 175 miles northwest via US-501 and I-95, and provides the most comprehensive national connectivity for families from western US and other markets with broader CLT connections.
For families driving, US-501 connects Conway and Myrtle Beach to Florence (65 miles west) and I-95. US-17 runs the coastal highway from Myrtle Beach north to Wilmington (90 miles) and south to Georgetown and Charleston (75 miles south). The approach to Myrtle Beach on US-501 through the flat coastal plain of the Grand Strand is one of the most gradually revealing coastal approaches of any major resort area on the East Coast.
What do parents need to know about Coastal Carolina University move-in day 2026?
Coastal Carolina’s fall move-in runs in mid-to-late August. Check coastal.edu/housing for your student’s building and move-in window.
Conway in mid-August is hot and humid in the South Carolina coastal way: temperatures in the low to mid 90s with the Atlantic coastal humidity, afternoon thunderstorms arriving with coastal summer regularity, and the hurricane season (June through November) a real awareness item for Grand Strand families. The Myrtle Beach area has been affected by significant hurricanes, and parents should ensure their students understand the university’s evacuation and emergency protocols.
Coastal Carolina runs organized move-in with residential life staff and building-specific unloading areas.
Practical notes:
- Ship boxes ahead. Coastal Carolina holds packages.
- After unloading, the Conway and Myrtle Beach restaurant scenes provide first-night dining options. The Myrtle Beach strip has extensive chain and seafood restaurant options, but for local character, the Prosser’s BBQ (Conway, Horry County-style BBQ, the most local dining experience in the area) and the Conway downtown restaurant scene on Main Street provide accessible family dinners.
The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Might Live
Coastal Carolina’s residential system provides on-campus housing for approximately 4,500 students, with freshmen required to live on campus.
The Traditions Hall, Indigo House, and the freshman residential communities provide suite-style and traditional room configurations for incoming students.
The Coastal Village, Palmetto, and other upperclass residential communities provide more independent living configurations for continuing students.
The CCU dining program operates through Hicks Dining Hall and other campus dining locations, with meal plan options for on-campus residents.
How much does Coastal Carolina University cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
South Carolina residents should verify LIFE Scholarship eligibility. Contact coastal.edu/financial-aid for current need-based and merit-based aid programs.
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| In-State Tuition and Fees | ~$11,500 (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Out-of-State Tuition and Fees | ~$27,000 (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Room and Board | ~$12,000-$14,000 (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Books and Supplies | ~$1,200 (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Personal and Transportation | ~$3,000 (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Estimated Total In-State (before aid) | ~$27,700-$29,700 (verify at coastal.edu) |
| Estimated Total Out-of-State (before aid) | ~$43,200-$45,200 (verify at coastal.edu) |
South Carolina residents should verify LIFE Scholarship eligibility. Contact coastal.edu/financial-aid for current need-based and merit-based aid programs.
If there is a gap between aid and costs, SoFi is consistently competitive on private loan rates. Always work with CCU’s financial aid office first.
FAFSA guide for Coastal Carolina families Full college cost planning guide
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand: What Parents Need to Know
The Grand Strand is one of the major resort and leisure destinations on the East Coast, and the Coastal Carolina parent visit takes place in this unusual context: a beach resort community with 60 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach, 100 golf courses, extensive restaurant and entertainment infrastructure, and the specific leisure culture of the American…
The Grand Strand is one of the major resort and leisure destinations on the East Coast, and the Coastal Carolina parent visit takes place in this unusual context: a beach resort community with 60 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach, 100 golf courses, extensive restaurant and entertainment infrastructure, and the specific leisure culture of the American seaside resort. For parents visiting from cooler climates, the combination of a developing university campus and an Atlantic Ocean beach community 10 miles apart is genuinely distinctive.
Myrtle Beach State Park (south of the city, on the oceanfront, South Carolina State Park) provides the most natural beach access near the Grand Strand, with an undeveloped Atlantic beach, nature trails through maritime forest, and the contrast between the natural coastal landscape and the resort development that characterizes the commercial Grand Strand.
Brookgreen Gardens (US-17, Pawleys Island, 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach) is one of the most significant sculpture gardens in the United States, with more than 2,000 works of American figurative sculpture set in the former rice plantation landscape of the Waccamaw Neck, with live oak allees, reflecting pools, and the Low Country tidal landscape. Brookgreen is one of the most beautiful parent visit excursions accessible from any South Carolina university.
Georgetown, South Carolina (55 miles south via US-17) is the most historically significant small city on the South Carolina coast, with the Rice Museum (documenting the antebellum rice plantation economy of the Waccamaw Neck, one of the wealthiest and most historically complex plantation systems in the American South) and the Georgetown historic district’s 18th and 19th-century commercial architecture.
Charleston (approximately 90 miles south via US-17) is one of the most architecturally distinguished and historically significant cities in the American South, with the Charleston Historic District (the most intact collection of antebellum urban architecture in South Carolina), the South Carolina Aquarium, the International African American Museum (opened 2023, one of the most significant African American history museums in the South), and the Charleston restaurant scene that has made it one of the most celebrated culinary destinations in the country.
For parent visit dining: The Sea Captain’s House (Myrtle Beach Ocean Boulevard, oceanfront, the most atmospheric traditional seafood restaurant on the Grand Strand), Prosser’s BBQ (Conway, Horry County-style, the most authentic local dining near campus), and the Conway downtown Main Street restaurants for accessible family dining.
When is Coastal Carolina University Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
Coastal Carolina Family Weekend 2026 is October 2 to 4, 2026.
Confirm the schedule and registration on the official family weekend page, and reconfirm the date before booking travel in case it changes. Hotels near campus sell out early, so book as soon as dates are confirmed.
Comparing schools? See our 2026 parents weekend and family weekend dates for every college in one place.
Coastal Carolina University refunds tuition on a declining schedule after the semester starts, so timing a withdrawal matters.
University fees are non-refundable after the 100% tuition deadline, so even a family withdrawing on the very first day of the 90% window still loses 100% of fees, only tuition follows the declining schedule.
Refund schedule: for Fall 2026: 100% refund through September 1, 90% through September 8, 50% through September 22, 25% through October 13, 0% after that. Confirmed via the official Coastal Carolina University refund policy page. Policies and dates change every term, so verify directly before making a decision.
Advertising disclosure: this is a paid partner link. UniversityParent may earn a commission if you purchase through it.
Most colleges do not refund 100% of tuition once the semester starts.
GradGuard Tuition Insurance can reimburse tuition, housing, and fees if a covered illness, injury, mental health condition, or other covered reason forces a withdrawal during the term. Plans must be purchased before the semester begins.
Freshmen may bring a car to Coastal Carolina, no special restriction.
All first- and second-year students are required to live in university housing. Residents who complete permit registration before August 1 get their permit handed to them during move-in rather than needing to pick it up separately.
Freshman permit cost: not found; an older 2023-24 figure of $75/year is now superseded and not reliable. Confirmed via the official Coastal Carolina parking page. Policies can change year to year, so verify before move-in.
Coastal Carolina’s Homecoming and the Sun Belt Conference football and baseball schedules provide the primary athletics events for families.
The CCU baseball program at Springs Brooks Stadium is one of the most consistently nationally competitive programs in the Sun Belt Conference, and the spring semester baseball schedule is a natural parent visit occasion for families who enjoy collegiate baseball in a beach climate setting. Check coastal.edu/athletics for current Family Weekend and home game schedules.
Hotel strategy: The Myrtle Beach Grand Strand area has extensive hotel inventory at all price ranges, with the oceanfront hotels on the beach strip being the most family-appealing for parent visits that include beach time. Book summer and spring break weekend well in advance, as resort demand is intense. For standard academic-year weekends, 2 to 3 weeks ahead is adequate.
How can parents support their Coastal Carolina University student’s mental health?
Coastal Carolina’s Counseling Services provides individual therapy, group therapy, crisis support, and psychiatric referrals.
The beach resort culture of the Grand Strand creates specific mental health dynamics for CCU students: the availability of nightlife, alcohol, and resort social activities in the surrounding Myrtle Beach environment creates a social context that can be both stimulating and challenging for students who are not well-anchored in campus life and community.
The hurricane season is a real mental health stressor for Grand Strand families and students, and the counseling center’s programming includes emergency preparedness and post-storm community support.
Coastal Carolina mental health and health resources:
- Counseling Services: contact via coastal.edu/counseling
- Student Health Services: contact via coastal.edu/studenthealth
- Crisis line: 988 (call or text, 24/7)
- Emergency: 911
Who do Coastal Carolina University parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
Verify all phone numbers and URLs at coastal.edu before using, as contact information is subject to change.
- Student Affairs / Parent Resources: contact via coastal.edu/student-affairs
- Admission: contact via coastal.edu/admissions
- Financial Aid: contact via coastal.edu/financial-aid
- Housing: contact via coastal.edu/housing
- Counseling Services: contact via coastal.edu/counseling
- Student Health Services: contact via coastal.edu/studenthealth
- University Police (non-emergency): contact via coastal.edu/police
- Registrar: contact via coastal.edu/registrar
- Emergency: 911
Coastal Carolina’s Academic Strengths
The E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration is the most nationally recognized professional school at CCU, with AACSB-accredited programs in accounting, finance, marketing, management, and resort tourism management.
The resort tourism management program is among the most distinctive in the country for its specific focus on the hospitality and resort industry, directly shaped by the Grand Strand’s identity as a major American resort destination.
The College of Science provides programs in marine science, biology, environmental science, chemistry, and mathematics that directly benefit from the coastal setting: marine science students have access to the Atlantic coastal ecosystem, the Waccamaw River watershed, the barrier island ecology of the Grand Strand, and the research resources of the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies. The marine science program is the most distinctively coastal academic program at CCU, and its research on the ecology, geology, and environmental challenges of the southeastern coastal landscape is directly relevant to the setting.
The College of Education provides teacher preparation programs for the Horry County Schools and the broader South Carolina coastal school systems. The College of Humanities and Fine Arts provides programs in communication, English, history, visual arts, music, and theatre arts that serve the liberal arts mission and benefit from the performing arts venues available in the broader Myrtle Beach entertainment complex.
Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
MYR airport (20 minutes from campus) provides comprehensive East Coast connectivity for end-of-semester travel. The South Carolina coastal climate means December travel is weather-mild. Storage Scholars specializes in student storage with residence hall pickup and delivery.
Full printable Coastal Carolina dorm packing list
You Are a Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Family Now
Brookgreen Gardens 25 miles south on a Family Weekend afternoon, the live oak allees and the American sculpture collection in the former rice plantation landscape of the Waccamaw Neck, one of the most beautiful parent visit experiences accessible from any university in the Carolinas.
The Atlantic Ocean 10 miles east in October when the summer tourists are gone and the Grand Strand is its quietest and most beautiful. The Springs Brooks Stadium on a March baseball afternoon when the CCU program that has won Sun Belt Conference championships is doing what it does in the South Carolina spring sunshine. Charleston 90 miles south where the culinary and architectural tradition of the South Carolina coast is at its most concentrated.
Coastal Carolina has been the university of the Grand Strand since 1954, in a place where the Atlantic Ocean and the resort culture and the rice plantation history and the barrier island ecology are all present simultaneously, creating one of the most distinctive university settings on the East Coast. The Chanticleers are in Conway. The beach is close.
Go Chanticleers.
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Last updated: May 2026. Tuition, dates, and policies subject to change. Verify all time-sensitive information at coastal.edu and coastal.edu/housing.
Where to stay near Coastal Carolina University
Hotels near campus fill up fast on move-in and Family Weekend. This live map shows places to stay near Coastal Carolina University. Drag the map or change the dates to fit your trip.
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What is Coastal Carolina University’s graduation rate?
Coastal Carolina University graduates 37.4% of students in four years; another 11.1 points finish within six. About 77.4% of first-year students return for sophomore year. Each bar is compared to the national average, marked by the vertical line.
11.6 pts below national
15.5 pts below national
3.6 pts below national
Here is how to read these numbers: the four-year and six-year rates show how many students finish on time and eventually, and retention shows how many return after the first year. Wherever your student lands, the habits that keep them on track matter most: a full, well-sequenced course load, an advisor meeting every term, and using campus support early. See why most students don’t graduate in four years and how to choose the right classes in the right order.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, most recent available data. National averages: NCES. Figures are for first-time, full-time bachelor’s-seeking students.
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Academic Calendar
Key dates for the Coastal Carolina University 2026-2027 academic year. Always verify at the official Registrar page before making travel plans.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 classes begin | August 18, 2026 |
| Fall break | None |
| Thanksgiving break | November 26-27, 2026 |
| Last day of fall classes | December 4, 2026 |
| Fall finals | December 7-11, 2026 |
| Fall commencement | December 15, 2026 |
| Spring 2027 classes begin | January 12, 2027 |
| Spring break | March 8-12, 2027 |
| Spring finals | April 25-29, 2027 |
Winter break housing: Most Coastal Carolina University residence halls close for winter break. Students who need to stay on campus must apply for break housing through Residential Life in November. Check the housing portal for specific closure dates and application deadlines.
What to Pack for Coastal Carolina University
Every dorm is different, but these are the items parents of Coastal Carolina University students buy most. Ship directly to campus and skip the trunk-stuffing stress.
Twin XL Bedding Set
Sheets, comforter, and pillowcases — buy before you arrive so the bed is ready day one.
Shower Caddy & Flip Flops
Shared bathrooms require these. Get a hanging caddy and waterproof sandals before move-in.
Surge Protector Power Strip
Most dorms allow 6-outlet surge protectors with USB ports. Check your school’s policy first.
Want the full list? See our complete college packing list →
Shipping to campus? Students get 6 months of Amazon Prime for Young Adults free, then half price on the student’s own account. Here is how it works.
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