When you commit to The Citadel Experience, you stand out from the rest.
You commit to be challenged when you choose The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. As a member of the Corps of Cadets, you will join an extraordinary group of young individuals driven by a strong moral code and a desire to make a difference. You are strong, but when you join your classmates, you become part of a team. Together, you become resilient. You form lifelong bonds that define who you are. You learn to uphold standards and learn the value of accountability and integrity. And in this process, you realize that you are capable of more than you ever thought.
#1
Public University in the South
*According to 2025 U.S. News and World Report
Military Barracks
The Citadel offers students a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills through our strenuous four-year model. Students live on campus for four years in military barracks, developing communication and teamwork skills while also learning to problem-solve. The Citadel’s focus is developing principled leaders who are ready to be successful in any future endeavors, and our military atmosphere is a key pillar to that future success. The unique environment provided through the barracks encourages students to bond together, leading to friendships that will last a lifetime.
A Day in the Life
Get a glimpse of your routine as a Cadet at The Citadel.
The Citadel Experience
Cadet Resources
Learn more about Cadet Resources.
ROTC
The Citadel offers ROTC in all branches of the armed forces. Students can earn commissions in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, and Coast Guard at The Citadel. All students, whether they plan to commission or not, participate in two years of ROTC classes. Those seeking a commission continue with ROTC classes and labs for the remaining two years. Approximately one-third of each graduating class earn commissions into the US military upon graduation. Additional scholarship funding is also available to those who earned a high school ROTC scholarship.
Community Service & Campus Life
The Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics strives to create leadership development through community outreach and service opportunities for students. In addition, The Citadel has a very robust Cadet Activities department on campus that hosts over 90 different clubs and groups. These clubs and groups support students’ academic, religious, political, and other extracurricular interests here on campus.
Clubs and Organizations
Participating in campus clubs and organizations enables students to engage in a diverse range of extracurricular activities, constituting a vital component of The Citadel’s leadership development process.
Check out our Campus Clubs.
Our Religious Community
We are dedicated to serving students, faculty, and staff by promoting religious expression, providing counseling and support services, organizing faith-based programs, and facilitating support for 20 campus ministries. Importantly, participation in religious-based activities at The Citadel is entirely optional for students.
View Summerall Chapel and Religious Activities.
Athletics
The Citadel hosts 16 NCAA Division I sports teams and competes in the Southern Conference for both men and women. Beyond NCAA sports, The Citadel also offers club and intramural sports. Club teams travel all over the Southeast, while intramural sports take place on campus, providing cadets with some healthy competition between companies.
NCAA Teams
Men’s Sports
Baseball – Basketball – Cross Country – Football – Mixed Rifle – Tennis – Track & Field – Wrestling
Women’s Sports
Cross Country – Golf – Mixed Rifle – Soccer – Track & Field – Volleyball
Club and Intramural Sports
Club and Intramural Sports are integral in student life with year-long competitive activities in individual and team sports.
Academics
The Citadel is proud to have nationally ranked programs among our 30 majors and 50 minors, from which students can earn their Bachelor’s degree. The Citadel boasts of our 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio, honors program, and multiple study abroad opportunities. The Citadel’s commitment to producing career-ready graduates through experiential learning environments leads to 88% being placed in employment, military, or internship at graduation, with the average graduate salary exceeding the national average. The Citadel is also proud to boast the highest 4-year graduation rate in the state of South Carolina.
Schools and Majors/Minors
Discover The Citadel’s five schools and their academic programs:
Honors and Scholars Program
The Citadel Honors Program is a specially designed educational experience intended to challenge gifted students with an outstanding record of academic achievement and a sense of intellectual adventure and community.
The 1842 Scholars Program is an institutional merit-based scholarship program designed to offer students the opportunity to engage with like-minded cadets through experimental learning and leadership.
Study Abroad
The Citadel’s Center for International and Special Programs (CISP) works to broaden students’ academic, leadership, social, and personal development during their time at The Citadel through study abroad, competitive scholarships and fellowships, and other special programs.
Follow Us
Get a feel for what makes The Citadel so unique.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Your Citadel experience will challenge you in many ways, but paying for it shouldn’t. Our Financial Aid office will assist you in making a Citadel education affordable. Last year, 81 percent of students received some form of financial aid, and $13.7M in ROTC scholarships were awarded. Check out our tuition, cost, and financial aid information to get started, and then contact us to learn more.
Get a First-Hand Look
Explore our campus and get a feel for what makes The Citadel so unique, and learn more about topics like enrollment, academics, and student services from the comfort of your home or on campus.
The Citadel has successfully met all the requirements for its once-a-decade reaccreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC.
While the general perception of spies and espionage is conflated with secrecy, The Citadel is working to dispel conspiracy and invite the study of open-source information in the college's largest single major.
The Citadel’s Swain Department of Nursing excels in providing tools for its cadets and students to become the next generation of nurses.