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Beach Colleges

190 schools · Within 10 miles of the ocean

Looking for these ranked rather than filtered? The list takes the 20 biggest beach-town colleges by enrollment. Top Beach-Town Colleges

190 schools meet this page’s criteria: four-year colleges within 10 miles of an ocean beach.

CollegeCove features four-year colleges and universities that primarily award bachelor's degrees or higher. Community colleges, vocational and certificate schools, graduate-only institutions, seminaries and other single-subject schools, and institutions that are primarily online are not included. Search all schools to reach community colleges and specialized institutions too.

Colleges on the Beach: How to Use This List

Every school here sits within 10 miles of an ocean beach, measured from campus coordinates to the nearest coastline. That radius is the difference between a beach you visit on spring break and a beach that is part of your ordinary week: a bike ride after class, a study break at sunset, a Saturday that starts on the sand. Saltwater only. Campuses on lakes and reservoirs are a genuinely different experience and have their own Lake Life collection.

This is the browse view, so it is filterable rather than ranked. Stack tuition, campus safety, acceptance rate, size and setting on top of the beach radius to cut the set down to schools you would actually apply to, then open any profile for the exact distance to the water and the name of the beach you would be driving to. Enrollment, admissions and cost figures come from the U.S. Department of Education; safety scores come from federal Clery Act reporting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as a beach college?

A campus within 10 miles of an ocean beach. We measure straight-line distance from the campus to the nearest coastline, so every one of these 190 schools is a realistic drive or bike ride from the water, not a two-hour trip that technically counts as coastal. Saltwater only: campuses on lakes and reservoirs are a different experience and have their own Lake Life collection.

Are beach colleges more expensive?

Being near the ocean does not set tuition. This list mixes public and private schools across a wide price range. What coastal location can raise is cost of living, especially off-campus housing. Cross-reference with the Budget Friendly collection to see which beach schools stay under $15,000 out-of-state tuition.

Which beach colleges are the safest?

Campus safety varies widely among coastal schools and does not track with how nice the beach is. Every school profile here carries a campus safety score built from federal Clery Act reporting, and we have ranked the safest beach-town campuses separately.

Can I find a school near both a beach and a ski hill?

Yes, though it is rarer than most students assume. A small number of campuses sit within reach of both ocean and mountains, concentrated heavily in California. Apply the ski filter on top of this collection to see them.

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