The Coastal Carolina University board of trustees voted to keep tuition, housing fees, and meal plan costs at the current level for the 2020-21 academic year for all in-state and out-of-state students.

“Amid the chaos that COVID-19 has created for so many current and future members of Coastal Carolina University, this is something that we can control and that we can do to add some stability and certainty,” said CCU President David A. DeCenzo, Ph.D. “I’m thankful to have a board that has the best interests of the students in mind.”

The move will keep tuition at $5,820 per semester for in-state students and $13,697 per semester for out-of-state students for the next academic year. This keeps CCU’s annual tuition below the state average of $12,268 for in-state students and $27,399 for out-of-state students at four-year public institutions.

Housing fees have remained stable at CCU since a refinance plan was initiated in 2014, and a $75 per semester housing credit implemented during the 2017-2018 academic year will continue for the 2020-2021 academic year.  

The board also expressed strong support for reopening the campus in August for face-to-face instruction for the fall semester.  

“I am thrilled to announce that Coastal Carolina University will welcome our students, faculty, and staff back to campus in the Fall of 2020,” said DeCenzo. “Fulfilling our educational mission will require resourcefulness and flexibility, but we will succeed. The process by which we will return to full operations is guided by our regard for public health and our determination to best serve our students, and we share this news so our students and families are clear – they can and should plan to come back to CCU this August.”

The board also approved a motion that gives University administration the ability to terminate or renew a number of one-year leases for warehouse and office spaces as an assessment of those spaces is conducted.

CCU Board of Trustees Chairman William Biggs also called for a special meeting of the board that will take place May 15 at 10 a.m. in a location to be announced.