Board of Visitors keeps tuition freeze in place, some fees to change

The Citadel Board of Visitors (BOV) voted not to raise tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year during a June meeting, noting the challenges many families face due to the current economic climate.

“The Board’s vote to keep the tuition freeze in place marks the fourth consecutive year our cadets and students will not see an increase,” said Col. Dylan Goff, ’02, BOV chair. “The appropriations from the South Carolina General Assembly, aligned with the college’s continuing approaches to manage costs, enabled us to offer the outstanding Citadel cadet and student experiences for which we are known at the same tuition rates as 2019.”

During a BOV meeting last November, the board voted for a modest tuition increase, but has since determined it will not be required despite the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) projection of 5% tuition increases for many institutions. HEPI, which tracks cost drivers in higher education, projects a 5% college tuition increase nationally for 2022-2023. The HEPI estimate is calculated with available year-to-date data points coupled with a forecast of remaining numbers based on historical data.

The South Carolina Corps of Cadets rates and new fee for courses over 21 credit hours

It is important to note that The Citadel’s fee structure for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets is different from other colleges. The costs of room and board and multiple sets of military uniforms comprise the overall “all-in” rate for the Senior Military College. This is because members of the Corps — all undergraduates — must live in the barracks, eat all meals in the mess hall and wear uniforms while on campus. Laundry, dry cleaning and books are also included in the all-in rate, with those costs calculated as part of each cadet’s One Card/Quartermaster Account.

The all-in rate does not include other items such as fees that vary according to the academic major or schedule of each cadet or student. Those major-specific fees align with the higher cost of some majors for faculty, labs, materials or programming.

The costs of attendance for the 2022-23 academic year are below. Freshman year charges are higher because of first-year uniform purchases.

All-in Cost for Cadets	In-State	Out-of-State
Upper-class	$26,428	$49,684
Freshmen	$31,943	$55,199

Fee raises; new fee for cadets taking over 21 credit hours

There will be an increase in one area of fees – for room, board and quartermaster accounts – for cadets. That will go up by $1,253 for freshmen, and $1,043 for upperclassmen.

Additionally, there will be a new fee assessed per credit hour for cadets choosing to take more than 21 hours per semester. That fee will be billed using the current in-state or out-of-state rate per credit hour, based on student type. The new fee is intended to help regulate a cadet’s academic load with a focus on better planning and time management, thus reducing the number of cadets taking excessive course loads. Every cadet has an academic advisor, access to the Student Success Center and dedicated professors, as well as opportunities to connect with mentors and company academic officers for guidance on course selection and planning.

The Citadel Graduate College

Students in The Citadel Graduate College’s on-campus and online programs also will not see an increase in tuition and will continue at the rates listed below:

The Citadel Graduate College Programs (*per credit hour)	In-State	Out-of-State
Evening Undergraduates	$488	$925
Graduate Students	$595	$1,020
Online Undergraduates	$500	$500
Online Graduate Students	$695	$695

How is the ongoing tuition freeze impacting the college?

The biggest impact and overall intent is to help maintain affordability for cadets and students.

Academic programming and physical campus improvements will continue. For example, the replacement of the college’s largest academic building, Capers Hall, is underway and on schedule for a late 2023 opening.

The Citadel has a consistent track record of achieving some of the highest four-year graduation rates in the state of South Carolina, as well as some of the highest rates of employment after graduation with alumni earning top salaries. This combination of high four-year graduation rates, high employment and high salaries helped The Citadel earn recognition as #1 Public College in the South by U.S. News & World Report for 11 consecutive years.

This article was edited for accuracy on July 25, 2022.