Coastal Carolina University made moderate advances in the 2015 edition of the U.S. News and World Report's "Best Colleges" rankings, released today.

CCU was ranked 57th in the Best Regional Universities (South) category, as compared to 62nd in last year's 2014 ranking. CCU ranked 63rd in 2013.

CCU ranks 9th in the South among all schools in the Best Value category, higher than all other public schools in the state within the Regional Universities (South) cohort except Converse College. In last year's report, CCU was ranked 15th.

CCU also ranked 22nd in the Best Colleges for Veterans category. "Coastal Carolina's performance in the 'Best Value' ranking is a reflection of the successful efforts across the institution to control tuition costs while not compromising quality," said CCU President David A. DeCenzo. "This ranking is significant because it considers both cost and academic quality."

According to U.S. News and World Report, the Best Value calculation is based on a school's academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid.

"Regional University" is defined as an institution that provides a full range of undergraduate and master's programs, but few doctoral programs. Institutions are ranked against their peer group in one of four geographic regions: North, South, Midwest and West.