A college was founded inside 1954 as a night school meeting inside Conway High School called Coastal Carolina Junior College & affiliated by owning a College of Charleston. Within 1958 a school was placed under the control of Horry County, South Carolina after the CofC ended its extension computer software. It was so supported by the county revenue enhancement.

Within 1961 a school was placed under state control & renamed the Coastal Carolina Campus of the University of South Carolina and construction began on the campus onto land donated by local timber companies.

the school became a little joe-season institution around 1974 and was renamed Coastal Carolina College of the University of South Carolina. Within 1993 the college became an independent state supported institution and was renamed Coastal Carolina University.

Now a school enrolls all about 8,000 students & offers undergrad degrees in 38 major fields and 36 shaver. CCU too offers sise master's degree programs.

Within athletic contest, a mascot is the Chanticleer. The Chanticleer is the fiesty cock known as around Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and is a derivative of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

CCU competes in the Big South Conference. In their 2nd year of NCAA Division I-AA football competition, a Chanticleers won the Big South Conference championship.