During a June meeting, The Citadel Board of Visitors voted to maintain in-state tuition rates for cadets this upcoming academic year. At that meeting, the BOV voted to slightly increase tuition for out-of-state cadets and students by 3.4% based on economic forecasts.
“We at The Citadel continue to do everything we can in order to ensure our tuition is as low as possible,” said Col. Greg Delleney, ’74, chair of The Citadel Board of Visitors. “I am proud of the work we have done to cut costs to help offset inflation, and we are also very grateful for the assistance provided by the State of South Carolina.”
This vote on tuition comes as the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) projects a 3.7% tuition increase for many colleges and universities across the country for the 2025-26 year. 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.
The tuition for the 2025-26 academic year is below. All cadets will see a slight increase in board costs. Freshman year charges are higher because of first-year uniform purchases; this year, the cost of deposits for freshmen was lowered.
| All-in cost for cadets, 2025-26 | In-state | Out-of-state |
| Freshmen | $34,589 | $61,856 |
| Upperclassmen | $28,313 | $55,580 |
The Citadel Graduate College
Both undergraduate and graduate students with The Citadel Graduate College will also see very slight increases in tuition. Additional fees are different from those for cadets, as CGC students do not live on campus.
The tuition for the 2025-26 academic year is below.
| The Citadel Graduate College programs (*per credit hour), 2025-26 | In-state | Out-of-state |
| Graduate Students | $720 | $1,040 |
| College Transfer/Evening Undergraduates | $520 | $950 |
| Online Graduate Students | $720 | $720 |
| Online College Transfer Undergraduates | $520 | $520 |
| MBA Online | $800 | $800 |
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 Regional University in the South by U.S. News & World Report, as well as #1 Public University in the South for 14 consecutive years.
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