Coastal Carolina SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
By the Cheetah Prep team · Reviewed July 14, 2026
SAT middle 50 percent
1050 to 1220
Half of enrolled students at Coastal Carolina scored in this range on the SAT. One quarter scored above 1220, and one quarter below 1050.
- Average composite
- 1143
- Acceptance rate
- 75.3%
- ACT range
- 21 to 26
- Test policy
- Test optional
- Location
- Conway, SC
- Undergraduates
- 10,377
Coastal Carolina SAT Scores and Admissions
Coastal Carolina University is a public university in Conway, SC, a few miles inland from Myrtle Beach, with 10,377 students enrolled. If you are checking Coastal Carolina SAT scores before you apply, the middle 50 for the 2024-2025 cycle ran from 1050 to 1220, with an average of 1143. Read that range the way an admissions office does: half of enrolled students landed inside that window, 1 out of 4 scored below 1050, and 1 out of 4 scored above 1220. The 1143 average sits closer to the bottom of the range than the top, which tells you plenty of students got in with scores in the low 1100s.
The admissions picture is friendly. Coastal Carolina admits 75.3% of applicants, so roughly 3 out of 4 students who apply get in. Put plainly, if 100 applicants with files like yours applied, about 75 would get a yes. Testing is optional in the most recent federal data, which means you choose whether your score goes in the file, and that choice is a real strategic lever rather than a formality. Section by section, enrolled students posted 530 to 620 in Reading and Writing and 520 to 600 in Math, so the verbal side runs slightly ahead of the quantitative side here.
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Coastal Carolina SAT Score Breakdown by Section
Here is the section by section SAT profile of enrolled students at Coastal Carolina, from the federal College Scorecard.
| Section | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 530 | 620 |
| Math | 520 | 600 |
| CompositeTotal SAT | 1050 | 1220 |
The College Board reports section percentiles, not section averages, so an average is shown for the composite only.
Where this sits on the 400 to 1600 scale
1050 to 1220
Coastal Carolina Admissions Calculator: What Are Your Chances?
Enter your SAT score and unweighted GPA for an honest read on your chances of getting into Coastal Carolina, measured against real enrolled student data instead of a made up percentage.
No SAT score yet? Take the diagnostic and get a real number in about 25 minutes.
How this calculator works: your SAT is compared with Coastal Carolina's reported middle 50 percent range from the federal College Scorecard, your GPA is compared with the range admitted students at similarly selective schools typically present, and both are weighed against the school's real acceptance rate. We do not print a made up percent chance. No calculator can see your essays, your course rigor, or your recommendations, and at selective schools those decide close calls. Treat this as an honest read of your academic position, not a prediction.
Chances of Getting Into Coastal Carolina by SAT Score
Here is what specific scores mean at Coastal Carolina, based on its reported 1050 to 1220 middle 50 percent range. Find the row closest to your score, or use the calculator above for a read on your exact numbers. No made up percentages: each verdict is your real position in the enrolled class.
| SAT score | Where it lands | The honest read |
|---|---|---|
| 900 | Well below the 25th percentile | A 900 is well below the 1050 to 1220 range at Coastal Carolina. On testing alone this score does not keep the application in contention, so raising it is the priority. |
| 1000 | Just below the 25th percentile | A 1000 falls just short of Coastal Carolina's 25th percentile of 1050. Some students get in below the range, but they usually bring something exceptional elsewhere in the application. |
| 1140 | Inside the middle 50 percent | A 1140 sits inside the 1050 to 1220 range, matching the profile of enrolled students. This is a competitive score here. |
| 1220 | At the 75th percentile | A 1220 matches the 75th percentile at Coastal Carolina, stronger than about 3 out of 4 enrolled students. Testing is a clear strength at this level. |
| 1250 | Above the 75th percentile | A 1250 beats the 75th percentile at Coastal Carolina. The score is doing all it can; nothing more is gained by retaking. |
How to Raise Your SAT Score to Coastal Carolina's Range
The two targets that matter here are 1050, the score that puts you inside the admitted range, and 1220, the score that puts you in the top quarter. Here is the size of the jump from common starting points, with the step by step plan for each one.
| Starting score | To reach 1050 | To reach 1220 | The plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | +50 points | +220 points | 1000 to 1300 plan |
| 1100 | Already there | +120 points | 1100 to 1300 plan |
Not sure where you stand today? The diagnostic gives you a real starting score and a section breakdown in one sitting, so the gap you plan around is your actual gap.
What SAT Score Do You Need for Coastal Carolina?
Read your own score against the 1050 to 1220 range. Below 1050, you are behind 3 out of 4 enrolled students. You can still apply, and the optional testing policy lets you withhold the score, but the rest of your application has to carry more weight once the number stays out of the file. Inside the range, you look like a typical admit, and the 75.3% acceptance rate works in your favor. Above 1220, your score beats at least 3 out of 4 enrolled students and becomes a genuine asset worth submitting.
The section splits tell you where to aim. Reading and Writing sets the higher bar at 530 to 620, while Math runs 520 to 600. A 600 in Math clears the 75th percentile for that section, but the same 600 in Reading and Writing lands in the middle of the pack, so do not treat the two sections as interchangeable when you set targets. If you take the ACT instead, the matching range is 21 to 26, and the same quartile logic applies to that scale.
Coastal Carolina GPA Requirements
Admitted students at Coastal Carolina typically present an unweighted GPA around 3.0 to 3.5. That band fits a school admitting 75.3% of its applicants: solid grades matter, but a transcript does not need to be spotless to get a yes. B averages with some A grades mixed in are common in the admitted pool, and one rough semester will not sink an otherwise steady record.
How you earned the number counts as much as the number itself. A 3.3 built on honors and AP sections reads stronger than a 3.5 built on the lightest schedule available, because readers look at what your school offered and what you actually took. And if your GPA sits at the lower edge of that band, a strong SAT is the fastest offset. Grades took 4 years to accumulate; a score can move in a few months of focused prep. Since testing is optional here, the calculation is simple. Submit a score above the 1143 average and it lifts the file. Hold it back if it does not, and let the transcript speak on its own.
Typical admitted GPA
Admitted students at Coastal Carolina typically present a GPA in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on an unweighted 4.0 scale. Steady grades in a reasonable course load are usually enough on the GPA side of the application.
If your GPA sits at or below this range, a strong SAT score is the fastest way to stay competitive, since grades are hard to move late in high school. See where your SAT score really stands and build the plan around the gap.
These are unweighted grades on a 4.0 scale. A school that weights GPA or reports a different scale will show a higher number.
Coastal Carolina SAT Testing Policy
Coastal Carolina considered scores without requiring them (test optional) in the most recent federal data. Testing policies change year to year, so confirm the current 2026-2027policy on the school's admissions site before you decide whether to submit scores.
Should you submit your score?
Submit your score when it is at or above 1135, the middle of Coastal Carolina's range. If you are below 1050, the 25th percentile, consider holding your score and letting your grades, essays, and activities carry the application.
Last verified July 14, 2026
Should You Submit Your SAT Score to Coastal Carolina?
Coastal Carolina was test optional in the most recent federal data, which turns your score into a strategic choice. The folk theory that applying without scores signals weakness is overstated, but the math of what helps is simple: a score that lands inside or above the admitted range works for you, and a score well below it does not.
1140+
Submit
At or above the middle of the admitted range, submitting clearly helps. A real data point beats an open question.
1050 to 1140
Lean submit
Inside the range, most counselors say send it: you are within the profile of enrolled students, and holding it back leaves the reader guessing.
Below 1050
Usually hold it
Below the 25th percentile the score rarely helps at Coastal Carolina. Apply without it, or better, close the gap first. Scores can still matter for merit scholarships elsewhere on your list.
Policy as reported for the 2024-2025 cycle. We verified it against Coastal Carolina's own site, where any mid cycle change would appear first.
Coastal Carolina ACT Scores: Should You Take the SAT or ACT?
The middle 50 percent of enrolled students at Coastal Carolina scored between 21 and 26 on the ACT, alongside the 1050 to 1220 SAT range. Like nearly every US college, Coastal Carolina states no preference between the two tests. The right move is to take whichever test converts higher for you, using the official concordance below, and send that one.
| ACT composite | SAT equivalent |
|---|---|
| 26 | 1230 to 1250 |
| 25 | 1200 to 1220 |
| 24 | 1160 to 1190 |
| 23 | 1130 to 1150 |
| 22 | 1100 to 1120 |
| 21 | 1060 to 1090 |
| 20 | 1030 to 1050 |
SAT equivalents from the official College Board and ACT concordance tables. Highlighted rows fall inside Coastal Carolina's ACT middle 50 percent.
How to Get Into Coastal Carolina
Set 2 concrete targets. Hitting 1050 or above keeps you in range at Coastal Carolina, since that is the 25th percentile of enrolled students. Hitting 1220 or above puts you in the top quarter, where your score actively argues for you instead of just not hurting you. With an optional testing policy, 1220 is the number that makes submitting an easy call, and anything above the 1143 average is still worth sending because it nudges the file upward rather than dragging it down.
Work backward from the gap. If you are at 1100 now, 120 points separate you from the top quarter, and our score plans map out how long that climb usually takes. Let the section numbers set your practice mix: pushing Reading and Writing past 620 or Math past 600 clears the 75th percentile on that section, so put your hours where the payoff sits closer. If you do not have a current score, that is the first fix. Take a diagnostic this week, compare your result to 1050 and 1220, and build your prep schedule around whichever target you land closest to.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Coastal Carolina?
Coastal Carolina admits about 753 of every 1,000 applicants, and enrolls an undergraduate class of about 10,377. That ratio, not any single cutoff, is what makes the admitted profile look the way it does: when a school turns away 247 of every 1,000 people who apply, the students who get in cluster at the top of every measurable scale.
For perspective against the country as a whole: Coastal Carolina's 25th percentile score of 1050 already beats roughly 49% of all SAT takers nationally, and its 75th percentile of 1220 sits around the 77th percentile. A score that feels middling on this page is an excellent score almost anywhere else, which is worth remembering when you build the rest of your list.
Colleges Similar to Coastal Carolina: Reach, Match, and Safety Options
Real reported ranges from schools students often consider alongside Coastal Carolina, ordered by acceptance rate. Odds are compared on acceptance rate first, because a school with a lower SAT average can still be far harder to get into.
| School | SAT middle 50 percent | Acceptance rate | Odds vs Coastal Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | 1050 to 1220 | 75.3% | This page |
| Clemson | 1240 to 1410 | 38.3% | Harder to get into than Coastal CarolinaSAT about 190 higher |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | 930 to 1220 | 57.1% | Similar oddsSAT about 60 lower |
| Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide | 1040 to 1240 | 57.9% | Similar oddssimilar SAT range |
| College of Charleston | 1140 to 1310 | 60.0% | Similar oddsSAT about 90 higher |
| South Carolina Columbia | 1180 to 1360 | 60.2% | Similar oddsSAT about 135 higher |
| Central Connecticut State | 960 to 1190 | 73.3% | Similar oddsSAT about 60 lower |
How Recent Are These Coastal Carolina SAT Scores?
Every score, rate, and enrollment figure on this page comes from the US Department of Education College Scorecard, 2024-2025 release, the same federal dataset colleges report into. Testing policy reflects the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. This page was last reviewed July 14, 2026.
Score ranges quoted around the web for Coastal Carolina disagree with each other more than you would expect, usually because a site is quoting an older class or an unlabeled estimate. We publish the reported number, label the vintage, and update when the source updates. We also cross checked Coastal Carolina's own admissions site, where any change would appear first.
Coastal Carolina SAT Scores and GPA: Frequently Asked Questions
What SAT score do you need to get into Coastal Carolina?
Coastal Carolina's middle 50 percent SAT range is 1050 to 1220. Aim for at least 1050 to be competitive, and 1220 or higher to be a strong applicant. There is no hard cutoff, but a score in or above this range keeps your application in contention.
Is a 1050 a good SAT score for Coastal Carolina?
A 1050 sits at Coastal Carolina's 25th percentile, the lower edge of its middle 50 percent range of 1050 to 1220. It keeps you in range, but a score closer to 1220 makes your application stronger.
What is the average SAT score at Coastal Carolina?
The average composite SAT score at Coastal Carolina is 1143. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored between 1050 and 1220.
Does Coastal Carolina require SAT scores?
No. Coastal Carolina was test optional in the most recent federal data, so you can apply without SAT scores. Confirm the current 2026-2027 policy on the school's admissions site before you decide whether to submit.
Is Coastal Carolina test optional for 2026-2027?
Coastal Carolina was test optional in the most recent federal data, meaning you could apply without scores. Policies change year to year, so verify the 2026-2027 policy on the school's admissions site.
What ACT score do you need for Coastal Carolina?
Coastal Carolina's middle 50 percent ACT range is 21 to 26. Aim for at least 21 to be competitive and 26 or higher to be a strong applicant. A strong ACT can stand in for the SAT at Coastal Carolina.
What GPA do you need to get into Coastal Carolina?
Admitted students at Coastal Carolina typically present an unweighted GPA in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on the 4.0 scale, based on schools with a comparable acceptance rate. Grades earned in rigorous courses matter as much as the number itself, and a strong SAT score is the fastest way to offset a GPA at the lower edge of that range.
What is Coastal Carolina's acceptance rate?
Coastal Carolina admits about 75.3% of applicants, which makes it less selective. A strong SAT score still helps your application stand out, especially for selective majors, honors programs, and merit scholarships.
What are my chances of getting into Coastal Carolina?
Coastal Carolina admits about 75.3% of applicants, so your chances depend on where you sit against the admitted pool. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored 1050 to 1220 on the SAT and admitted students typically carry an unweighted GPA around 3.0 to 3.5. A score above 1220 puts you in the strongest quarter of the class on testing. Use the admissions calculator on this page to check your own SAT and GPA against Coastal Carolina's real numbers.
How can I raise my SAT score for Coastal Carolina?
Focus your prep on the section costing you the most points, then follow a study plan built for your target score range. Cheetah Prep has step by step score plans for specific point jumps and unlimited practice questions with worked solutions.
Does Coastal Carolina superscore the SAT?
Superscore policies vary by school and change year to year, and Coastal Carolina does not report this in the federal data. Check the school's admissions site for its current superscore policy, which tells you whether it combines your best section scores across test dates.
About this page: written and reviewed by the Cheetah Prep team. Last reviewed July 14, 2026.
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