Resources › For Students and Parents Colleges and Universities for Beach Lovers If You're a Big Fan of the Sand and Sun, Check Out These Schools Print Creating Your College Wish List Introduction Understanding the Different Kinds of Colleges 15 Things to Consider When Choosing a School Faculty to Student Ratio What Is a Liberal Arts College? 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What Is a Reach School? What Is a Match School? What Is a Safety School? Torrey Pines State Beach is just a few miles north of University of California San Diego. Richard Cummins / Getty Images By Eileen Cody Eileen Cody Eileen Cody is an experienced education program coordinator. Previously, she was an admissions counselor at Alfred University. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 03, 2019 Can’t get enough of that sun and sand? Many colleges in coastal states such as California, Florida, New Jersey, and even Rhode Island offer quick access to some of the nation’s finest beaches. Whether you’re a surfer, a tanner or a sandcastle builder, you’ll want to check out these beach colleges. When choosing a college, the strength of its academic programs and its ability to play a meaningful role in your career goals should be the most important factors. That said, location does matter. If you're going to live somewhere for four years, it should be a place that makes you happy. Eckerd College Wikimedia Commons/Elisa Rolle Eckerd sits right on the coast of Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Florida, allowing easy access to several area beaches. The college also has its own on-campus beach, South Beach, offering a variety of recreational activities for students. Location: St. Petersburg, Florida Type of School: Private liberal arts college Enrollment: 2,023 (all undergraduate) Explore the Campus: Eckerd photo tour Endicott College Wikimedia Commons Endicott’s oceanfront campus in Beverly, Massachusetts, just 20 miles north of Boston, includes three private beaches nestled in the coves of the Salem Sound. These beaches are exclusively for student use and conveniently located across the street from the main portion of campus. Location: Beverly, MassachusettsType of School: Private collegeEnrollment: 4,695 (3,151 undergraduates) Flagler College Getty Images / Franz Marc Frei / LOOK-foto A smaller private college in historic St. Augustine, Florida, Flagler is minutes from the Atlantic coast and several beaches, including Vilano Beach, a local “best-kept secret” beach just a few miles from downtown St. Augustine, and Anastasia State Park, a protected bird sanctuary and public recreation area with five miles of beaches. Location: St. Augustine, FloridaType of School: Private liberal arts collegeEnrollment: 2,701 (all undergraduate) Florida Institute of Technology Thomas_Kelley / Getty Images Florida Tech is a technical research university in Melbourne, Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is just across the Intracoastal Waterway from the small beach town of Indiatlantic and several miles north of the Sebastian Inlet, widely recognized as one of the best surfing beaches on the East Coast and one of the state’s most popular beaches. Location: Melbourne, FloridaType of School: Private technical research universityEnrollment: 6,631 (3,586 undergraduates) Mitchell College DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images Mitchell College is located in New London, Connecticut between the Thames River and the Long Island Sound, giving students access not only to the college’s small private beach but also to New London’s 50-acre Ocean Beach Park, which includes a white sugar sand beach that National Geographic has rated among the best beaches. Location: New London, ConnecticutType of School: Private liberal arts collegeEnrollment: 723 (all undergraduates) Read More Top Florida Colleges By Allen Grove Monmouth University Wikimedia Commons New Jersey might not top the list of places you would think to look for a beach college, but Monmouth University in West Long Branch is located less than a mile from the infamous ‘Jersey Shore,’ offering easy access to local beaches such as the Seven Presidents’ Oceanfront Park, a popular New Jersey destination for swimming, surfing, and sun. Location: West Long Branch, New JerseyType of School: Private universityEnrollment: 6,394 (4,693 undergraduates) Palm Beach Atlantic University SkyViewsPhotography / Getty Images Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida is just across the Intracoastal Waterway from some of the Palm Beach area’s best public beaches, including Midtown Beach and Lake Worth Municipal Beach. The university is also several miles north of the John D. Macarthur Beach State Park, an 11,000-acre barrier island park offering a number of nature activities such as hiking, snorkeling, and scuba. Location: West Palm Beach, FloridaType of School: Christian liberal arts institutionEnrollment: 3,918 (3,039 undergraduates) Pepperdine University Getty Images/BackyardProduction Pepperdine’s 830-acre campus overlooking the Pacific in Malibu, California is just a few minutes from some of California’s most popular beaches. Malibu Lagoon State Beach, only a five-minute walk from campus, is considered one of the premier surfing beaches in the state, and Zuma Beach a few minutes down the coast is one of the largest and most popular beaches in Los Angeles County. Location: Malibu, CaliforniaType of School: Private universityEnrollment: 7,632 (3,533 undergraduates) Texas A&M University - Galveston DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images Texas A&M Galveston is just a few miles from East Beach, the largest beach in the state located on the eastern tip of the island, as well as several other beaches in the Galveston area, a popular Texas beach destination. Location: Galveston, TexasType of School: Public maritime universityEnrollment: 1,867 (1,805 undergraduates) University of California San Diego InnaPoka / Getty Images Considered one of the "Public Ivies" with a consistent top-ten ranking among American public universities, UCSD is also a prime beach school, located in the luxurious La Jolla coastal area. Local favorite Torrey Pines State Beach, just a few miles north of UCSD, sits at the base of picturesque 300-foot sandstone cliffs. A section of Torrey Pines State Beach, known as Black’s Beach, is famous as one of the largest clothing-optional beaches in the country, although the city-owned portion of the beach prohibits this practice. Location: La Jolla, CaliforniaType of School: Public universityEnrollment: 32,906 (26,590 undergraduates) University of California Santa Barbara Patricia Marroquin / Getty Images As well as ranking among the nation’s top public universities, UCSB’s 1,000-acre campus is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on three sides and sits adjacent to Goleta Beach, a primarily man-made beach and a popular area for sunbathing and fishing, as well as Isla Vista, a beach-front college-town community within Santa Barbara and a prime surfing spot. Location: Santa Barbara, CaliforniaType of School: Public universityEnrollment: 23,497 (20,607 undergraduates) University of California Santa Cruz Silentfoto / Getty Images UC Santa Cruz sits overlooking Monterey Bay along the central coast of California. It’s just a short trip to several popular Bay Area beaches in Santa Cruz, including the city-run Cowell Beach and Natural Bridges State Beach, a California state park area that features a famous natural rock arch over a section of the beach. Location: Santa Cruz, CaliforniaType of School: Public universityEnrollment: 17,868 (16,231 undergraduates) University of Hawai'i at Manoa hfrankWI / Getty Images UH at Manoa is nestled in the hills just outside of Honolulu on the coast of the island of Oahu. The university is just minutes from many of Hawaii’s famous white sand beaches, including Waikiki Beach and Ala Moana Beach Park, which offer year-round swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and other activities. Location: Honolulu, HawaiiType of School: Public universityEnrollment: 18,865 (13,698 undergraduates) University of North Carolina Wilmington Lance King / Getty Images UNC Wilmington is within traveling distance of several of North Carolina’s beachfront communities, most notably Wrightsville Beach, one of the barrier islands on the Cape Fear Coast of the Atlantic. Just a few miles from campus, Wrightsville Beach is a mellow beach community and a popular destination for vacations and water sports. Location: Wilmington, North CarolinaType of School: Public universityEnrollment: 14,918 (13,235 undergraduates) More Colleges for Beach Lovers If you want a college experience that includes easy access to the beach, these colleges and universities are also worth a look: Point Loma Nazarene University - San Diego, California California State University Monterey Bay - Seaside, California University of West Florida - Pensacola, Florida Bethune Cookman College - Fort Lauderdale, Florida Coastal Carolina University - Conway, South Carolina Brigham Young University Hawaii - Laie, Hawaii Texas A&M University Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi, Texas University of Rhode Island - Kingston, Rhode Island Salve Regina University - Newport, Rhode Island Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Cody, Eileen. "Colleges and Universities for Beach Lovers." ThoughtCo, Oct. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/colleges-for-beach-lovers-788290. Cody, Eileen. (2020, October 29). Colleges and Universities for Beach Lovers. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/colleges-for-beach-lovers-788290 Cody, Eileen. "Colleges and Universities for Beach Lovers." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/colleges-for-beach-lovers-788290 (accessed April 25, 2024). copy citation