Coastal Carolina University

Coastal Carolina University is a public university in Conway, South Carolina with just over 10,000 undergraduates. It was founded in 1954 as an annex of the University of South Carolina and later became it's own institution.

There's an enormous amount of school spirit here at this Division 1 university. The turf on the football field is colored teal, as is the track, supporting the school color. All athletic games are free for all students. The mascot is Chauncey the Rooster from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, which I think is very cool, as I get excited with literary references. I had to memorize the prologue in high school (Whan that Aprill, with his shores soote...) and will evermore be grateful to Mr. Krill for that, but that's another story.

Here are some fun facts: Coastal Carolina is only twenty minutes from Myrtle Beach. They have a dining hall called Chauncey's Choice which only serves healthy food - no fried food, no soda, and no sweets. It was originally built for athletes, but today all are welcome. There's an 18-hole golf course on campus to support the golf management major in the business school. And there is a farmer's market on the quad every month. There are no lecture halls on campus that hold more than 100 seats and most of them are usually only half full. Marine Science is the most popular major; Coastal Carolina has the largest department of Marine Science on the east coast. In fact, the university owns part of undeveloped Watie's Island, which is used by the marine science program and for student research. Nursing is the newest major; there are plans to build a new nursing facility in the next two years but they have not broken ground yet. Greek life is not a big deal with about 11-13% of students participating.

Sophomore housing is half a mile away but there are shuttles that run 24/7. And some of the freshman dorms do not have laundry facilities which means that students are lugging their laundry from building to building, which is not great.

With an 80% admit rate, it's very inclusive, but for out-of-state students, bear in mind that they recommend early action. They are often at capacity by the regular decision deadline and the bar is much higher for out-of-state students. At about $43K all-in for out-of-state students, and the possibility of up to $18K for a presidential scholarship, Coastal Carolina can be a great educational value!