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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Coastal Carolina University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/coastal-carolina-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/coastal-carolina-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/coastal-carolina-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/coastal-carolina-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/coastal-carolina-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Coastal Carolina University cost after financial aid?

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, Coastal Carolina University reported sticker charges for the 2025-26 academic year of $11,460 for in-state tuition and $180 in required fees. The university also reported $29,448 in out-of-state tuition and $13,100 for on-campus food and housing.

62.7% of full-time undergraduates pay more than the base charge. The published cost of attendance is $26,692, while the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,966.

Average aid savings of $12,726 account for that difference. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; the university's average net price is $1,668 below it.

Azimuth places the university in the 65th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lower post-aid price and peer comparison point in the same direction.

The lowest income band averages $9,563 after grants and scholarships, while the highest averages $20,219. The spread between them is $10,656.

Aid recipients overall pay $13,966 on average. That figure sits $1,668 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish hold a median of $23,750 in federal student loans, $3,674 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth puts the affordability pillar at the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For aid recipients, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) differs substantially by family-income band: $9,563 for families earning under thirty thousand dollars; $10,292 for families earning from thirty thousand one through forty-eight thousand dollars; $12,938 for families earning from forty-eight thousand one through seventy-five thousand dollars; $16,350 for families earning from seventy-five thousand one through one hundred ten thousand dollars; and $20,219 for families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars. Pell Grants go to 26.2% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,656.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,563

**$30–48K**
$10,292

**$48–75K**
$12,938

**$75–110K**
$16,350

**$110K+**
$20,219

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$13,966**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At Coastal Carolina University, the reported pricing pattern places lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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 earnings beyond expectations 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$35,414

**Estimated parent payment**
$450/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=coastal-carolina-university#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=coastal-carolina-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.