The Citadel
The Citadel at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
The Citadel Featured Rankings
- #3 Best Online MBAs South Carolina
- #3 Best Small Colleges in South Carolina 2026
- #4 South Carolina's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #4 Best Public Colleges in South Carolina
- #4 Most Affordable Colleges in South Carolina
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Carolina 2026
- #5 South Carolina's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #6 Best Colleges in South Carolina
- #16 Online Master’s in Project Management
About The Citadel
According to Wikipedia, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. It has 18 academic departments divided into five schools offering 31 majors and 57 minors. The military program is made up of cadets pursuing bachelor's degrees who live on campus. The non-military programs offer 12 undergraduate degrees, 26 graduate degrees, as well as evening and online programs with seven online graduate degrees, three online undergraduate degrees, and three certificate programs.
The Citadel's Online Degrees
Graduate Certificate in Technical Program Management
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Technical Project Management
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Transportation Engineering
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
BS in Business Administration
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering Management
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Intelligence Analysis
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
MA in Intelligence And Security Studies
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
MA in International Politics And Military Affairs
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
BA in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Intelligence And Security Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Leadership
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
MS in Instructional Systems Design And Performance Improvement
- Required Credits: 30
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Interdisciplinary Stem Education
- Required Credits: 34
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Higher Education Leadership
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
BA in Secondary Education
Degree Concentrations
- Social Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Geotechnical Engineering
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Leadership
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Military Leadership
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Built Environment And Public Health
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Tactical Performance And Resiliency
- Required Credits: 15
- Format: Fully online
BS in Tactical Strength And Conditioning
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Structural Engineering
- Required Credits: 12
- Format: Fully online
The Citadel Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,883 | 23% | 86% | 79% | 1185 | 24 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does The Citadel Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $12,570 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $17,669 |
| 30K - 48K | $14,356 |
| 48K - 75K | $19,783 |
| 75K - 110K | $23,356 |
| 110K+ | $25,076 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do The Citadel Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former The Citadel students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $82,609 a year, and 95% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
The Citadel's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 4,325 | 2,826 | 1,499 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is The Citadel?
The Citadel is located at 171 Moultrie St, Charleston, SC 29409.
How Safe is The Citadel?
The Citadel reported 0.8 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most midsize residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, The Citadel has a violent crime rate of 0.08% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Charleston has a violent crime rate of 0.36% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.04%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is The Citadel Known For?
The Citadel is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Criminal Justice
- History
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Political Science
- Business
- Education
- Literature
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Medical
- Nursing
- Sociology
- Psychology
The Citadel's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much The Citadel's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
The Citadel ranks #296 in the U.S. and #1788 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesThe Citadel ranks #417 in the U.S. and #2087 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesThe Citadel ranks #485 in the U.S. and #917 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesThe Citadel ranks #539 in the U.S. and #1578 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesThe Citadel ranks #556 in the U.S. and #2458 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesThe Citadel ranks #568 in the U.S. and #2360 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesThe Citadel ranks #581 in the U.S. and #2452 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesThe Citadel ranks #673 in the U.S. and #2545 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesThe Citadel ranks #756 in the U.S. and #3289 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesThe Citadel ranks #862 in the U.S. and #2605 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesThe Citadel ranks #907 in the U.S. and #4042 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesThe Citadel ranks #1008 in the U.S. and #4270 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesThe Citadel ranks #1135 in the U.S. and #3906 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesThe Citadel ranks #1282 in the U.S. and #3274 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesThe Citadel ranks #1964 in the U.S. and #5778 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesThe Citadel ranks #1971 in the U.S. and #5119 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWho Are The Citadel's Most Influential Alumni?
The Citadel's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Earth Sciences, and History. Here are some of The Citadel's most famous alumni:
- Robert Jordan
- An American fantasy writer.
- Andrew P. Sage
- An American engineer.
- John Palms
- A Dutch academic administrator.
- Randolph Bresnik
- An Astronaut, Fighter pilot.
- Pat Conroy
- An American novelist .
- W. R. Alford
- A Mathematician .
- Nicholas Hobbs
- An American psychologist .
- Merle Battiste
- An American chemist.
- Bernard L. Austin
- A United States Navy admiral.
- Wallace H. Clark Jr.
- An American pathologist, cancer researcher.
- Neill W. Macaulay Jr.
- A Cuban revolutionary .
- Roger C. Poole
- A United States general.
