Application Process | General Information | Residence/Student Life |

We have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions by prospective students. If you have questions that are not listed here, please feel free to contact our office at (800) 277-7000 or e-mail admissions@coastal.edu.

General Information

1. What are Coastal Carolina's most popular majors?
Coastal offers 40 majors and 37 minors. The largest major in terms of headcount is business management. Coastal also has many students who pursue degrees in marine science, biology, marketing, education, and psychology.
http://www.coastal.edu/admissions/programs.html

2. What is the student/faculty ratio?
The current student/faculty ratio is 19:1.

3. How large are most freshman classes?
The average freshman class size is 30 students. The average class size for upper division (junior and senior level) classes is 23.

4. What are CCU's colors and mascot?
CCU's colors are teal and bronze. Our mascot is Chaucey the Chanticleer (the quick and crafty rooster from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales).

5. How close is the campus to the beach?
Coastal is located approximately nine miles from Myrtle Beach, SC. Our location provides students with many excellent internship and part-time employment opportunities.

6. Is the institution accredited?
Coastal Carolina University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the baccalaureate and master's degrees. The E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration is accredited by AACSB International - the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Spadoni College of Education is nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the South Carolina State Board of Education. Coastal Carolina University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Department of Computer Science is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Professional Golf Management program is endorsed by the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA).

7. What academic support services do you offer?
The Learning Assistance Center provides all students with assistance in achieving learning objectives, improving and expanding academic skills and eliminating academic deficiencies. These services are provided at no additional cost to our students. The LAC units are as follows: the Foreign Language Instructional Center provides tutoring in foreign languages, reference materials and self-study exercises; the Mathematics Lab offers math tutoring and self-study resources; and the Writing Center offers tutoring and self-study resources.

8. Are placement tests required?
All new freshmen are required to take the math and foreign language placement tests. Foreign language tests are available for French, German, and Spanish. Transfer students who have not taken a college level math and/or foreign language course are also required to take the test(s). Please note that statistics is not considered a math course for placement purposes. Students must take their placement tests on the Internet before attending Orientation.

9. Do graduate assistants teach any courses?
All of our courses are taught by faculty. Graduate students and select undergraduate students may assist on a limited basis with science labs.

10. What athletic division is Coastal?
Coastal competes in the NCAA Division I and is a founding member of the Big South Conference. Chanticleer football competes at the NCAA I-AA level.

11. Where are students from who attend Coastal?
Approximately 60% of our students are from South Carolina. Out-of-state students come from 43 other staes. The majority of our out-of-state students come from Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. International students come from 31 countries.

Application Process

1. How long will the application process take?
It normally takes approximately three weeks from the time a student submits a completed application to the Office of Admissions (including official transcripts and standardized test scores) to receive an Admissions decision. To keep informed of the status of your application, please go on-line to http://webadvisor.coastal.edu and click on “Applicants.” You will receive a letter from the Office of Admissions with your username and PIN or you can look up this information on the WebAdvisor log-in page. Once you have acquired your username and PIN, you can determine whether your application status is “Pending” or “Complete.” You can also determine if your official transcript and test scores have been received. Please allow at least 10 days from the time that you submit your application until you inquire into your application status. This will insure that we have had sufficient time to review your application materials.

2. How will I be notified of the decision on my application?
The decision will be mailed to the student's permanent address. To keep informed of the status of your application, please go on-line to http://webadvisor.coastal.edu and click on “Applicants.” You will receive a letter from the Office of Admissions with your username and PIN or you can look up this information on the WebAdvisor log-in page. Once you have acquired your username and PIN, you can determine whether your application status is “Pending” or “Complete.” You can also determine if your official transcript and test scores have been received. Please allow at least 10 days from the time that you submit your application until you inquire into your application status. This will insure that we have had sufficient time to review your application materials.

3. Do you offer financial aid and scholarships?
Yes, we offer a variety of different financial aid and scholarships. In order to be considered for financial aid, students must complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form as soon as possible after their taxes are completed and as soon as possible after January 1 of the academic year in which they plan to attend Coastal. The priority date for applying for financial aid is March 1. However, students will not be able to submit the final information until they receive an acceptance decision.

4. Do you accept AP/CLEP/IB credit?
Yes, Coastal accepts all of these for college credit. In order to receive AP credit, a student must have received at least a three (3) on the AP exam. To receive IB credit, a student must score at least a four (4) on the Higher Level exam. To learn more about credit by examination, please go to the Credit By Examination page.
http://www.coastal.edu/registrar/creditbyexam.html

5. When can I visit the campus?
We offer tours daily, Monday-Friday (except holidays). From September through April, tours depart from the Welcome Center at 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. From May through August, tours depart from the Welcome Center at 9:30 a.m. For 2007-2008, Discovery Day programs are also being held on the following Saturdays: Fall Semester - November 3, and December 8; Spring Semester - February 16, March 29, and April 12.
http://www.coastal.edu/admissions/visits.html

6. Are personal interviews required?
Interviews are optional; they are not required.

7. What is the average SAT/ACT score and GPA for admission?
Students typically enter Coastal with an average SAT score of 1040 (critical reading and math combined) and an average ACT score of 22. The average GPA is 3.3.

8. When is the application deadline?
Coastal offers rolling admission, which means that students can apply and be accepted up to the first day of classes each semester (provided space is available). For priority scholarship consideration, fall applicants are encouraged to apply by January 15.

9. Can the application fee be waived?
Yes, but only if we have a SAT or ACT waiver form from the guidance counselor (freshmen only).

10. How do I know what classes will transfer?
Transfer Course Equivalencies are now available on WebAdvisor. Please visit http://www.coastal.edu/admissions/transfer.html, click on “Applicants,” and then click on "View the Transfer Course Equivs." Accepted transfer applicants will receive a preliminary list of transferable credits approximately three weeks after acceptance.

11. What are the requirements for South Carolina residency?
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education establishes the regulations for determining in-state status. For a list of these regulations, visit the State of South Carolina Web site. For a copy of the Application for Classification as a South Carolina Resident for Tuition and Fee Purposes, click here. Residency applications with all supporting documentation must be submitted at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the term for which you are requesting residency status. You must provide copies of all documentation with your residency application. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education establishes the regulations for determining in-state status. For a list of these regulations, visit the . State of South Carolina Website. For a copy of the Application for Classification as a South Carolina Resident for Tuition and Fee Purposes, view the pdf residency document.

Residence/Student Life

1. Do you have on-campus housing?
Yes. The Residence Life program serves approximately 2,200 undergraduate students in 31 University residence halls with apartment and traditional suite accommodations. All residence halls are fully furnished and include local telephone and Internet service.
http://www.coastal.edu/reslife/

2. Are the residence halls coed?
Yes, our residence halls are coed. Each room is single-sex by apartment or wing.

3. Is campus housing guaranteed?
Campus housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis for all new and continuing students. For the 2008-2009 academic year, new students should complete their housing application/contract on-line. No housing assignment will be made until the $150 enrollment deposit has been received by the Office of Admissions.

4. Are there computer hookups in the residence halls?
Yes, all of our residence halls have computer access. For all students living on-campus, we offer unlimited Internet access via our on campus computer network. Each room has been wired with a high speed 10BaseT Ethernet connection or has wireless Ethernet access. More information about the campus network can for found on Coastal's Student Technology Web site.
http://www.coastal.edu/scs/

5. Are computers required?
At this time, only computer science majors are required to have a computer. Computers are strongly recommended for marine science, mathematics and chemistry/physics. More information is available on our student technology pages.
http://www.coastal.edu/scs/

6. Can freshmen have cars on campus?
Yes, we allow our freshmen to have cars on campus. The cost of a parking permit for the fall and spring semesters is $25.

7. Can I request a specific roommate?
Students may request specific roommates and requests will be honored as much as possible; however, requests must be mutual and roommate preferences will take priority over building requests.

8. When do I find out my room assignment?
Students can look-up their housing assignments on the Internet several weeks before the start of classes.

9. Are freshmen required to live on campus?
Beginning for Fall 2008, all new freshmen will be required to live in on-campus residence halls for their first year. National statistics show that college students who live in residence halls are more likely to complete their degree than those who live off campus, largely because they are more engaged in campus life and activities. Freshmen may qualify for an exemption if they are over 22 years old, are veterans, live fewer than 50 miles from campus, are married or are parents, or if they have significant medical restrictions.

10. What student organizations are on campus?
Coastal has over 100 student organizations on campus. More information about campus activities is available on the Student Activities Web site.
http://www.coastal.edu/students/

11. How safe is the campus?
Our campus is remarkably safe and there is 24-hour police protection. Crime reports are available through the Department of Public Safety and on the University Web site.

12. Is there public transportation?
Yes, our campus is a stop for Myrtle Beach city buses and taxis are also available. There is also a campus shuttle that travels around the main campus; to the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies and the Coastal Science Center, both located on Highway 501 in the Atlantic Center, and to the University Place campus residence complex.