Coastal Carolina University vs Liberty University

Coastal Carolina University and Liberty University, both located in South Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Coastal Carolina, a public university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to Liberty's (53%), a private Christian university. Coastal Carolina's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population. Liberty, on the other hand, has a higher graduation rate (68%) than Coastal Carolina (60%). While both universities offer a range of popular majors, Coastal Carolina excels in marine science and biology, while Liberty is known for its strong programs in business, education, and nursing. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Coastal Carolina University	Liberty University
Overview
Location	Conway, South Carolina	Lynchburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	79.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.1%	99.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1030 - 1190	N/A
ACT range	20 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	15,481	28,448
Total number of admissions given out	12,251	28,244
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,519	5,461
Yield rate	20.6%	19.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,318 Out of state: $42,072	$42,620
Average net price	$14,956	$27,891
Tuition	In state: $11,460 Out of state: $27,214	$21,663
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,440 Meal plan: $3,928	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $4,560
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $9,834	89.0% Average amount $12,431
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,848	52.0% Average amount $5,619
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $20,291	9.0% Average amount $17,351

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,790 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%	47,696 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	683 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	47,013 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	60.2%	76.0%
International students	1.2%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,728	8,222
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Maryland	Virginia North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Communication and Journalism	Education Business Health Professions Psychology Theology
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	51.2%	62.1%
Dropout rate	11.4%	30.2%
Transferred out	36.7%	5.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,378 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $69,235 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,086 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $61,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,114 Year 2: $53,497 Year 3: $60,248 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,888 Year 2: $65,750 Year 3: $59,685 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,976 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $44,693 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,824 Year 2: $42,873 Year 3: $44,446 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,464 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $44,425 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,250 Year 2: $38,168 Year 3: $43,145 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,430 Year 2: $38,597 Year 3: $42,978 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,101 Year 2: $36,423 Year 3: $42,472	Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,316 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $91,964 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,385 Year 2: $80,964 Year 3: $87,831 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,657 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $77,205 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,410 Year 2: $72,022 Year 3: $73,900 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,556 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $65,313 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,731 Year 2: $62,936 Year 3: $64,580 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,576 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $62,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,423 Year 2: $57,714 Year 3: $62,225 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $40,885 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $62,169 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $58,240 Year 2: $59,895 Year 3: $61,052

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