Coastal Carolina University was founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College and became an independent university in 1993.

Coastal Carolina University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the baccalaureate degree and master's degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call for questions about the accreditation of Coastal Carolina University. All other inquiries about the University should be directed to Coastal Carolina University, PO Box 261954, Conway, South Carolina, 29528-6054, or, , not the Commission.