
Coker University is a private university in Hartsville, South Carolina, founded in 1908 as Coker College for Women. It later became coeducational and adopted the Coker University name in 2019, reflecting the range of undergraduate and graduate programs it had developed.
The institution was founded through the efforts of Hartsville businessman Major James Lide Coker. Its history as a small college remains relevant to its identity today: Coker emphasizes discussion-based teaching and an approach it calls Round Table Learning. Prospective students should evaluate that approach alongside the courses, schedules, and support available in their intended major.
Coker University offers bachelor's degrees across the arts, sciences, education, business, and health-related fields, as well as selected graduate programs. Its academic offerings include areas such as biology, business, communication, education, psychology, and the performing and visual arts.
The university's discussion-focused Round Table Learning model is intended to give students an active role in class. What that looks like may differ between a seminar, a laboratory, a studio course, and an online course. Applicants comparing programs should examine the current academic catalog for required courses, delivery format, clinical or fieldwork requirements, and the sequence in which courses are offered. Those details can matter especially to transfer students and students trying to finish on a particular schedule.
Coker University's main campus is in Hartsville, a small city in northeastern South Carolina. Its setting offers a different daily experience from a large metropolitan campus: students can reach parts of the surrounding community from campus, but regional travel and some off-campus errands may be easier with a car.
Florence Regional Airport is a nearby regional air-travel option; students should check current flight availability and ground transportation before relying on it. First-year students are permitted to register or park a car on campus, subject to the university's current parking rules. Students planning to commute should also account for the travel time and costs associated with their own address and class schedule.
Coker University presents its educational purpose around student learning, personal development, and engagement beyond the classroom. Its stated emphasis on Round Table Learning places discussion, participation, and relationships with instructors at the center of its academic approach.
Those are institutional aims, not guarantees about an individual student's experience. Applicants can test how the approach applies to them by looking at the format of courses in their proposed major, opportunities for practical work, and the advising available at their intended degree level.
Name of the institution
Coker UniversityLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
Town: DistantInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999School type
Comprehensive higher education institutionMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1908Coker University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Doctor's degree - otherData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.