Cost & financial aid brief
Coastal Carolina University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Coastal Carolina University cost after financial aid?
At Coastal Carolina University, the reported pricing pattern places lower average net prices in the lower family-income bands and higher prices in the upper bands. For the average aid recipient, aid reduces the published cost by $12,726.
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net price is $9,563 in the lowest income band, $10,292 in the next band, $12,938 in the middle band, $16,350 in the next-highest band, and $20,219 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,656, a pattern consistent with aid being concentrated more heavily in lower-income bands.
At Coastal Carolina University, the published cost of attendance is $26,692, but average net prices vary by family-income band for aid recipients. Families in the lowest income band average $9,563; the lower-middle band averages $10,292; the middle band averages $12,938; the upper-middle band averages $16,350; and the highest band averages $20,219.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,656, and Azimuth ranks the university #497 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Across all aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,966.
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, representing average financial aid savings of $12,726. The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; Coastal Carolina's average is $1,668 below that level.
Lower average pricing than comparable institutions sits alongside substantial average aid savings. Borrowing is widespread among Coastal Carolina undergraduates: 93.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $23,750.
At comparable institutions (same type and size), median federal debt is $20,076, placing Coastal Carolina's median $3,674 above that figure. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $270 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $35,414.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Coastal Carolina University: 93.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $23,750. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, leaving the university's median $3,674 above that figure.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $35,414. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 70% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $42,005 per borrower.
This included 68% of graduates with federal loans averaging $22,298. It also included 25% of graduates with private loans averaging $56,632.
Although access is Coastal Carolina University’s strongest pillar, the return figures suggest a guarded investment picture. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $52,398 four years after completion.
Azimuth places that earnings level in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, also falls near the bottom of the distribution.
Graduates earn about $13,971 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places in the 10th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The downside scenario is $41,942 and the upside scenario is $64,790, while the typical scenario matches the reported median earnings level. Median federal student loan debt is $23,750, which is $3,674 above the peer median of $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $270 a month if repaid over ten years. Below-expected earnings and debt above the peer median point in the same direction.
Among parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $35,414. For student borrowers at the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $270 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $35,414
- Estimated parent payment
- $450/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 26.5% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.9% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.7% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $23,750
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $35,414
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $270/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $450/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $720/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $52,398, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
11.4% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.