During a June meeting, The Citadel Board of Visitors voted not to raise in-state cadet tuition for the upcoming academic year. At the same meeting, the BOV also voted to slightly increase tuition for out-of-state cadets.

Last year, in November, the BOV voted for a 4.25% tuition increase for both in-state and out-of-state cadets but later determined that increase to be unnecessary.

Instead, in-state tuition will remain the same as the previous year and the out-of-state tuition will be increased by only 3%.

“For the past six years, we’ve worked to keep tuition as low as possible for our cadets and students as we educate and develop principled leaders,” said Col. Greg Delleney, ’74, chair of The Citadel Board of Visitors. “This small increase validates the college’s strategic efforts to reduce costs while maintaining our exceptional programs. We are also grateful for the support and additional funding from the South Carolina legislature and Gov. Henry McMaster, which helps offset the inflation that continues to weigh on families.”

This vote on tuition comes as the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) projects a 3.4% tuition increase for many colleges and universities across the country. The HEPI estimate is calculated with available, year-to date data points coupled with a forecast of remaining numbers based on historic data.

The South Carolina Corps of Cadets

The Citadel is one of the only two remaining 24/7 military colleges, aside from the federal academies. As such, when comparing college tuition rates, it is important to note that The Citadel’s fee structure is different because the costs of room and board, and multiple sets of military uniforms, comprise the overall “all-in” rate. This is because members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets — all undergraduates — must live in the barracks, eat most meals in the mess hall and wear uniforms while on or near 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.

For all cadets, there will be a small increase in pricing for additional fees; all cadets will also see a slight increase in room and board.

The costs of attendance for the 2024-25 academic year are below. Freshman year charges are higher because of first-year uniform purchases.

All-in cost for cadets, 2024-25	In-state	Out-of-state
Freshmen	$34,464	$60,402
Upperclassmen	$27,678	$53,616

The Citadel Graduate College

Both undergraduate and graduate students with The Citadel Graduate College may also see very slight increases in tuition. Additional fees are different from those for cadets, as CGC students do not live on campus.

The costs of attendance for the 2024-25 academic year are below.

The Citadel Graduate College programs (*per credit hour), 2024-25	In-state	Out-of-state
Graduate Students	$700	$1,020
College Transfer/Evening Undergraduates	$500	$930
Online Graduate Students	$700	$700
Online College Transfer Undergraduates	$500	$500

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 University in the South by U.S. News & World Report for 13 consecutive years.