Understanding Tuition and Fees at College of Coastal Georgia

For students considering higher education in coastal Georgia, understanding the tuition, fees, and financial aid options at the College of Coastal Georgia is crucial. This article provides a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with attending the college, as well as available financial assistance and payment options.

Cost of Attendance: An Overview

The Department of Education mandates that the College of Coastal Georgia establishes a Cost of Attendance (COA). This COA sets a limit on the amount of financial aid a student can receive during an academic year. The COA is derived from factors such as College Board Living Expense Budgets, College of Coastal Georgia bookstore requirements, on-campus housing costs, and campus meal plans. These figures are estimates and are reviewed each aid year, meaning that your actual costs/expenses may differ from what is listed on a student’s COAST account or their Financial Aid Offer letter.

The COA initially assumes full-time enrollment (12+ credit hours) and is reduced for less than half-time enrollment (5 credit hours or less). Terminology also used to explain COA would be Direct Costs and Indirect Costs. Direct Costs are those that will be applied to the students COAST account. The COA for students enrolled less than half-time includes only tuition, fees, books, course materials, supplies, equipment and transportation (no miscellaneous and personal expenses). Students with expenses associated with dependent care, studying abroad, accessibility accommodations or the purchase of a computer should contact the Financial Aid Office to potentially have their COA increased and their aid eligibility reevaluated.

Direct and Indirect Costs

The COA encompasses both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are those billed directly by the college, such as tuition, mandatory fees, and on-campus housing. Indirect costs include estimates for books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses.

Tuition Rates

College of Coastal Georgia's tuition is $4,270 for in-state and $13,660 for out-of-state students. Compared with the national average cost of in-state tuition of $12,436, College of Coastal Georgia is cheaper. For students coming from out of state, the tuition is cheaper than the national average cost of out-of-state tuition of $29,815. These figures include both tuition and fees, also referred to as the sticker price. In 2023, the median undergraduate tuition at College of Coastal Georgia is $2,563, which is $−9,628 less than the national average for Baccalaureate/Associates Colleges ($12,192).

Read also: CCU In-State Requirements

For the academic year 2025-2026, the student tuition rates are:

In-State: \$109.00 per credit hour (Maximum \$1,635 per semester for 15 or more hours)
Coastal Online: \$109.00 per credit hour (Maximum \$1,635 per semester for 15 or more hours)
Out of State: \$414.00 per credit hour (Maximum \$6,210 per semester for 15 or more hours)
Out of Country: \$435.00 per credit hour (Maximum \$6,525 per semester for 15 or more hours)
eCore: \$159 per credit hour
FinTech (FTA): \$199 per credit hour
USG Goes Global: \$199 per credit hour
Georgia Film Academy: \$125 per credit hour

Note: eCore, FinTech, USG Goes Global, and Georgia Film Academy courses are excluded from the 15-hour maximum on tuition.

Border State Waiver

The College of Coastal Georgia extends in-state tuition rates to residents of Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee who meet admission requirements. Admitted students can apply for the Border State Waiver online through the MyCCGA portal's "Student Forms" tab.

Economic Advantage

If a student or his or her parent/legal guardian or spouse relocated to the state of Georgia during the 12 months prior to the beginning of classes in order to accept full-time, self-sustaining employment, and has established domicile in the state of Georgia, they may qualify for a temporary waiver of out-of-state tuition while establishing residency.

Additional Costs

Beyond tuition, students should budget for other expenses.

Room and Board: On-campus room and board is provided at a cost of \$13,086 per academic year. If living on-campus, students should budget for $7,038 in additional living expenses. The average yearly cost of room and board at College of Coastal Georgia was of $9,082.
Books and Supplies: Students will also need to budget for books and supplies, which typically amount to $1,850 annually. The average yearly cost of books and supplies was $1,750.
Other Fees: Other administrative or academic fees are $920 for the year.

Mandatory Fees

The College of Coastal Georgia charges several mandatory fees to support various campus services and activities. These fees vary depending on whether a student is taking on-campus or online courses.

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On-Campus Students (Taking any in-person courses):

Technology Fee: \$60.00
Student Activity Fee: \$60.00 (5 or more credits), \$30.00 (4 or fewer credits)
Athletic Fee: \$195.00 (5 or more credits), \$97.50 (4 or fewer credits)
Campus Center Fee: \$145.00
Access Card Fee: \$15.00
Recreation and Intramural Fee: \$25.00

Online Students (Taking only online, not in a Coastal Online Program):

Online Learning Fee: \$500.00 (5 or more credits), \$372.50 (4 or fewer credits)

Coastal Online Program Students (Enrolled in a Coastal Online Program and taking only online courses):

Coastal Online Fee: \$280.00

Explanation of Fees:

Technology Fee: Supports computers and printers for academic labs, instructional software, multimedia equipment, lab assistants, and online class support.
Student Activity Fee: Finances student activities and services, including publications, student government, cultural and entertainment offerings, and support for clubs and organizations.
Athletic Fee: Funds intercollegiate athletic activities, including men's and women's teams in various sports.
Campus Center Fee: Supports the debt service on the Campus Center, which houses the bookstore, coffee shop, health services, lounge space, theater, meeting venues, and dining facilities.
Access Card Fee: Supports the operations of the card office. The card is used for identification, facilities control, meal plan tracking, on-campus purchases, copier services, and electronic management of all scholarship and financial aid funds.
Recreation and Intramural Fee: Develops recreational venues, intramural fields, and programs.

Course-Related Fees

Certain courses may have additional fees to cover specific materials, activities, or equipment.

Physical Education: \$60 for Outdoor Challenges (Ropes course), \$125 for SCUBA
Nursing and Health Sciences: \$25 - 30 for Health Sciences lab classes, \$13 liability insurance for RADT, NURS, and HESC
Natural Sciences: \$50 for all science lab courses (ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, ENVS, GEOL, ISCI, PHYS), \$25 for general science field trip, \$100 for marine biology field trip, \$315 for Sapelo Island field trip, \$360 for Ecology of Georgia field trip, \$400 for Scientific Diving courses
Culinary Arts: \$350 for culinary lab classes
Education: \$20 for ECSP 3190 and ECSP 3191 and MSED 3090 and MSED 3091, \$30 for ECSP 4190 and MSED 4001, \$250 for ECSP 4191 and MSED 4091

Other Fees

Application Fee: A non-refundable fee of \$25 is charged when an application is submitted for admission to the College.
Housing Application Fee: A non-refundable fee of \$50 is charged when an application is submitted for the Residence Hall.
Orientation Fees: Daytime Guest orientation fee \$10; Multi-Day orientation fee \$50; Overnight orientation fee \$40; Transfer Student orientation fee \$25.
Vehicle Registration/Parking Permit Fee: A fee of \$30.00 per vehicle is charged for campus parking privileges.
Student Liability Insurance Fee: Certain programs or courses require the purchase of liability insurance at a cost of \$13 per student, per year.
Student Health Insurance Fee: Students enrolled in the Health Care Programs (Nursing and Radiologic Science), some Biology courses and International students are required to be covered by health insurance.
Transcript Fee: A fee of \$3 per request for transcripts will be charged for normal processing. A fee of \$13 will be charged per request for transcripts for expedited processing and/or for printed copies. Postage not included.
Credit by Examination Fee: A fee of \$15 is charged for taking an examination for credit in a course not taken in regular class sessions, except for CLEP.
Testing Fees: HESI exams \$64.00, CLEP exam- \$15.00, ACCUPLACER retest-\$25.00, Remote ACCUPLACER exams-\$20.00, e-Core exams- \$20.00, Proctored Exams- \$30.00, Georgia History Exams- \$5.00, Georgia Legislative Exams \$5.00, ACT(Residual) would replace the ISAT (Institutional)-\$35.00

Penalty Fees

Parking Fine Fee: Parking fees are assessed for the following violations: Improper parking \$20, Moving violations \$25, Parked in fire lane \$50, Parked in handicapped \$100.
Late Registration Fee: After the regular registration period, a \$50 late penalty will be assessed.
Returned Checks Fee: A service charge of \$30 shall be charged for each check that is returned.
Identification Card Replacement Fee: A \$25 fee is charged to replace a damaged card, for normal wear-and-tear, once a semester. A \$25 replacement fee is charged for lost or additional replacements.
Library Fee: Replacement charges for lost materials are governed by the College of Coastal Georgia Library Circulation Policy on file in the library.
Judicial Fees: These fees apply to students who violate the policies of the College.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is a crucial resource for many students. In 2023, 66% of undergraduate students at College of Coastal Georgia received financial aid through grants. Comparatively, 31% of undergraduate students received financial aid through loans. Financial aid can include grants, loans, scholarships and work-study jobs. Financial aid packages vary depending on your financial need. Most colleges determine financial need based on your FAFSA.

In 2019/2020, 85% of full-time undergraduate students received financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, fellowships from the institution or from Federal, State or local government agencies. This aid averaged $6,148 per student during the 2019/2020 school year. Grant and scholarship aid does not need to be paid back. Federal Student Loans are not grants and must be repaid with interest.

The average Pell Grant awarded for 2019/2020 was $5,667. To apply for a Pell Grant to attend College of Coastal Georgia, the first step is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The average reported annual net price for College of Coastal Georgia for students receiving grants or scholarship aid was $12,670 in 2019/2020. The net price provides a more realistic estimate of the true cost of attending College of Coastal Georgia, once common grants and scholarships have been taken into account. It's important to note that your net price will fluctuate based on factors such as family income, assets and individual financial need.

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Financial Aid Dates:

Application Due: Jun 1 (The last day to apply for financial aid or turn in related paperwork)
Notification Date: Feb 1 (When students receive a letter with the amount and types of aid the college is offering)

Florida Prepaid College Plan

College of Coastal Georgia accepts your Florida Prepaid College Plan; however, the owner of the account is responsible for initiating the payment and making sure Florida Prepaid knows where they are attending school. This will allow you to receive Florida Prepaid College Plan credit prior to the fee payment deadline, which reduces your out-of-pocket cost.

Unrestricted Plan: Covers all tuition and fees up to the total plan value. Any remaining balance due is paid by the parent/student if no financial aid award is present.

Paying for College: Loans and Affordability

To gauge a more realistic picture of what it really could cost you out of pocket to go to College of Coastal Georgia, we've modeled a ten year student loan with an original principal value of $50,680. The loan balance of $50,680 is a four year multiple of the $12,670 average net price. This is a estimate of what you could owe upon graduation if you were to qualify for average financial aid and what a degree really may cost. Should you not qualify for financial aid, you may owe significantly more when you graduate. Based on these assumptions, a monthly repayment of $576 could be required to pay off your student loan. Please note that financial aid is not guaranteed and is only available for qualifying students.

In order to afford student loan payments and still meet all your other costs of living, it is recommended not to borrow more than you can pay back using 10% of your monthly income earned after graduation. If you're considering attending College of Coastal Georgia, should consider if it will be realistic to make the post graduation loan payments based on your expected salary. a $576.24 monthly payment in the example $50,680.00 loan modeled above. This assumes a repayment over 10 years.

Payment Methods

Early registration is not valid unless tuition and fees are paid by the specified date. Registration at the beginning of each semester is not complete until all tuition and fees have been paid, and the student is not eligible to attend class until registration is complete.

Payment may be made by cash, check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, money order, financial aid or payment plan with NelNet Business Solutions. However, payment by check is not complete until the check clears the bank. In the event a check is returned as insufficient funds, the student will be notified that the check must be covered within ten (10) working days of notification date and a penalty will be charged. Payments that are not tendered will be withdrawal of the class schedule by the registrar, and the issuer of the check will be turned over to the district attorney or solicitor for criminal prosecution.

Students with outstanding balances resulting from unpaid tuition and/or fees will not be permitted to receive transcripts, diplomas or register for classes.

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