A recent email from University Housing has Coastal Carolina University students left worried about where they are going to live.
Shortly after University Housing applications opened for the 2026-2027 academic year, in late March, a majority of upcoming juniors and seniors who applied received an email stating that they would not be able to participate in the room selection process.
According to CCU’s housing website, all full-time freshmen and sophomores who graduated “who graduated from high school within two calendar years prior to enrolling” are required to live in University Housing. However, students in their third year or higher are considered “non-required students.” Although they can apply to live in University Housing, they are not guaranteed housing because of limited available space.
Throughout campus and social media outlets, many upperclassmen students have voiced frustration, stating that mass denied applications weren’t an issue in previous years. Students were especially outraged when receiving notice that their application fees would not be refunded, in addition to what they already felt was a recent implementation.
Also according to the CCU’s housing website, the students’ applications that have been denied from the room selection process will remain active and will be manually assigned by University Housing if space becomes available.
Jackie Freibert, a sophomore double major in business management and hospitality, resort and tourism management, said that she had to readjust her plans to find housing.
“It’s been hard because my scholarship was specifically for housing, so just because I can’t get housing here on campus I’m having to readjust and find an apartment, see if my money can get covered for off campus housing versus on campus housing,” Freibert said. “So, it’s been a little difficult trying to find leases, plus I’m having to find roommates.”
Ava Ziagos, a freshman marketing major, said the university should deal with the lack of housing for students differently.
“I feel like they should be focusing on the students they already have, rather than people coming in because, I mean, I feel like a lot of kids transfer out of Coastal,” Ziagos said.
Although this lack of space in University Housing is affecting current upperclassmen, a freshman shared concerns for the future of where University Housing is heading.
Also concerned with how the university is handling the situation, freshman human resources in hospitality major Kayla Kelley said she fears dealing with housing in future years at CCU.
“I feel like the longer time goes on, more people are going to keep applying to Coastal, because, I don’t know, a lot of people keep moving down here. And if they don’t put a pause or a restriction on how many people to take, it’s just going to be insane,” Kelley said.
