Skip to content

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina · South Carolina

The Citadel scholarships and merit aid

The Citadel awards merit scholarships to entering cadets in three competitive tiers — Full Academic Scholarship (covers catalog costs), Honors Program Scholarship (four-year, invitation-only), and 1842 Scholars Program — all requiring a separate application after admission; GPA/test thresholds are not published as an automatic grid.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is The Citadel worth a closer look?

The Citadel is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 7 published awards, and 3 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers73 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards33%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025 (school-estimated)
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Free Merit Check

See what The Citadel's published rules mean for your student. Takes 30 seconds.

Checking merit aid at The Citadel

We’ll email you this result and a few short merit-aid pointers. We store score ranges only, never your student’s name. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Catalog costs…Catalog costs (tuition, room/board, quartermaster charges)

Full Academic Scholarship (Citadel Scholar)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Not published; invitation based on holistic review of HS credentials, activities, and separate application/interview
SAT
Not published
ACT
Not published
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Separate application required after admission offer; invitation issued by November or February of senior year; personal interview with faculty required

How to keep it

Renewal criteria not published on official pages reviewed; invitation-based competitive process. Upperclass renewal requires filing annual FAFSA and scholarship application by priority deadlines; most scholarships require maintaining a 3.0 GPA.

Notes

Described as 'the most prestigious of The Citadel's awards to incoming freshmen based on academic merit.' Covers catalog costs defined as tuition, room/board, and quartermaster charges — not full COA. Specific dollar amount not stated on the page.

Source

Amount not published…Amount not published (four-year scholarship available to all chosen students)

Citadel Honors Program Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Not published; holistic review of HS academic performance, course grades, courses taken, class rank, test scores (when provided), HS activities and leadership
SAT
Not published
ACT
Not published
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Invitation-only; separate application and personal interview with Citadel faculty required after admission offer; invitations issued by November and again by February for prospective students

How to keep it

Four-year scholarship tied to continued participation in the Honors Program. Specific renewal GPA not published on pages reviewed.

Notes

Honors Program is described as 'highly competitive four-year program.' The benefits page states 'four-year scholarships are available to all students who are chosen for the program' but does not publish a dollar amount. Current cadets not initially chosen may also apply to join in first year.

Source

Amount not published

1842 Scholars Program

Apply separately
GPA
Not published; identified via holistic review of HS credentials and extracurricular activities
SAT
Not published
ACT
Not published
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Invitation-based; separate application required after admission offer; invitations issued by November and again by February

Notes

Described as 'an institutional merit-based scholarship program.' The 1842 Scholars page confirms it is scholarship-bearing but does not publish a dollar amount. Provides professional development, mentorship, study abroad, and cohort community.

Source

Amount not published

Upperclass Cadet Scholarship (institutional, renewal/upperclass)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Most scholarships require a 3.0 cumulative GPA
SAT
Not applicable (upperclass)
ACT
Not applicable (upperclass)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Separate Citadel scholarship application required annually; FAFSA required for priority consideration

How to keep it

Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors must complete a separate Citadel scholarship application each year. Evaluation occurs after spring grades are posted. Most scholarships require maintaining a 3.0 GPA. Some scholarships also have a financial need component.

Notes

The 2025-2026 Upperclass Cadet Scholarship Application is listed as CLOSED on the page retrieved 2026-06-04. Award amounts are not published. Includes academic criteria and financial need depending on the scholarship.

Source

$2,800/year

SC HOPE Scholarship (SC state portable — first-time freshman only)

Based on grades or scores
GPA
3.0 final high school GPA
SAT
Not required for HOPE
ACT
Not required for HOPE (students who do NOT qualify for LIFE or Palmetto Fellows)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

SC resident; graduated from SC high school (or dependent of SC resident parent); does not qualify for LIFE or Palmetto Fellows; must complete The Citadel's HOPE Scholarship Affidavit

Notes

The Citadel's own financial aid page documents this state portable award. Current annual value $2,800. COA-cap stacking rule applies (see stackingPolicy).

Source

$5,000/year…$5,000/year (up to $7,500/year with STEM Enhancement)

SC LIFE Scholarship (SC state portable)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0 final high school cumulative GPA (one of three criteria; must meet two of three)
SAT
1100 SAT (one of three criteria; must meet two of three)
ACT
22 ACT (one of three criteria; must meet two of three)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

SC resident; SC high school graduate (or dependent of SC resident); rank in top 30% of HS class is the third criterion. STEM Enhancement (up to $7,500/year) available starting sophomore year for eligible STEM majors who completed 14+ credit hours of math/science by end of freshman year.

How to keep it

Available up to 8 semesters. Upperclass renewal requires 30 credit hours/year and cumulative 3.0 'LIFE GPA' (all post-secondary institutions). Annual LIFE GPA evaluated at end of each summer. Must complete The Citadel's LIFE Scholarship Affidavit. SC residents only.

Notes

STEM Enhancement majors: computer science, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biology, mathematics, chemistry, physics. COA-cap stacking rule applies.

Source

$6,700/year…$6,700/year (freshman); $7,500/year (soph/jr/sr); up to $10,000/year with STEM Enhancement

SC Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (SC state portable)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Set by SC Commission on Higher Education (eligibility criteria identified by SC high school officials)
SAT
Set by SC Commission on Higher Education
ACT
Set by SC Commission on Higher Education
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

SC resident; SC high school officials identify eligible students and report to CHE by established deadlines; separate CHE application process. STEM Enhancement requires 14+ credit hours of math/science by end of freshman year.

How to keep it

Administered by SC Commission on Higher Education; must complete The Citadel's Palmetto Fellows Affidavit each year. STEM Enhancement available starting sophomore year. SC residents only. COA-cap stacking rule applies.

Notes

The Citadel's own financial aid page documents the current values. STEM Enhancement majors same as LIFE. COA-cap stacking rule applies.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from The Citadel's published information.

  • Aid capHard $39,334 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at The Citadel cannot push the package past $39,334. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. The Citadel does NOT publish an automatic merit grid. All three main cadet scholarship tiers (Full Academic, Honors, 1842 Scholars) require a separate competitive application and invitation process after admission. Scholarship amounts are not linked to specific GPA/test score thresholds on any published grid.

  2. The Full Academic Scholarship covers 'catalog costs (including tuition, room/board, quartermaster charges)' — not the full federal COA. The 2026-27 cadet COA for SC residents includes travel, personal expenses, and loan fees on top of catalog costs. The gap between catalog costs and full COA is out-of-pocket unless other aid applies.

  3. The full COA for an SC-resident freshman cadet is $39,334 (2026-27). Catalog costs (tuition + room/board + quartermaster) are lower. Even a full academic scholarship leaves travel and personal expense components uncovered.

  4. Most Citadel scholarships require students to maintain a 3.0 GPA. Falling below 3.0 triggers loss of renewal. Evaluation occurs after spring grades are posted each year.

  5. Some Citadel scholarships have a financial need component. The financial aid office instructs cadets to file both the annual FAFSA and the scholarship application by priority deadlines for full evaluation.

  6. SC HOPE, LIFE, and Palmetto Fellows are for SC residents, but a student enrolled at The Citadel can qualify if they are a dependent of a South Carolina resident parent/guardian, even if they attended high school out of state.

  7. Total aid from all sources cannot exceed the COA. If a cadet stacks LIFE or Palmetto Fellows with institutional scholarships and federal aid and exceeds the COA, the state award will be reduced to prevent an over-award.

  8. The 'LIFE GPA' is calculated from all post-secondary institutions attended (including dual enrollment in high school). It is separate from The Citadel's internal GPA. A student can be in good academic standing at The Citadel but lose the LIFE Scholarship if their cumulative LIFE GPA falls below 3.0.

  9. To maintain the LIFE Scholarship as an upperclassman, students must earn an average of 30 credit hours per year. Failing to hit this threshold can cause loss of the award regardless of GPA.

  10. The Citadel states recipients are notified 'by April 30th in most cases' — there is an implicit caveat that some notifications may come later.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Academically strong high school seniors entering the Corps of Cadets who are invited to apply after submitting a thorough admissions application; SC residents who also qualify for LIFE or Palmetto Fellows state portable awards.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $39,334 for 2026-2027. Full COA for SC-resident Corps of Cadets freshman: $39,334. Non-resident freshman COA: $67,332. Tuition & fees alone (SC resident freshman) = $14,390 per COA page; catalog tuition (SBS page, 2025-2026) = $13,140 SC resident. The COA page is explicitly labeled 2026-2027 (page modified 2026-03-09); the SBS tuition page is labeled 2025-2026 and carries a stale-risk flag. The full-COA figure used is for SC-resident freshman from the Financial Aid COA page. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at The Citadel, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at The Citadel, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$15,430
$30,001–$48,000$16,456
$48,001–$75,000$18,140
$75,001–$110,000$20,620
$110,001+$24,047
All income levels (average)$20,723

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$12,570
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$38,508
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$20,723

That works out to roughly a 39% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $33,880 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

The Citadel is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
75%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,096 (~$224/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$72,085
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
21%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
42%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Total aid from all sources (federal, state, institutional, and private) may not exceed the student's Cost of Attendance as defined by Title IV regulations. State scholarships (SC HOPE, LIFE, Palmetto Fellows) combined with all other aid are subject to this COA cap; a student's actual award may be reduced if it would cause an over-award. No explicit statement was found on official pages about institutional merit scholarships displacing loans first or grants first.

The state scholarship page explicitly states: 'The SC HOPE, LIFE, and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships in combination with all other (Federal, state, institutional, and private) scholarships and grants may not exceed a student's cost of attendance as defined by Title IV Regulations. A student's actual award may be reduced below the maximum value of the scholarship if there is an over-award.' No separate stacking policy document for institutional merit scholarships was found on the pages reviewed.

Source

More school data

From the The Citadel Common Data Set 2024-2025 (school-estimated figures):

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From The Citadel’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
33%of admitsget merit
Average award$11,259Covers ~29% of $39,334 cost of attendance

At The Citadel, roughly 1 in 3 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $11,259 — about 29% of total cost.

As filed in The Citadel's CDS Section H2A: of 672 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 222 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $11,259. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 918 of 2,549, averaging $18,515. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

The 2024-2025 column is marked "estimated" in the school's own CDS filing — school-projected figures, not final audited counts.

Receive institutional merit33%First-year students, Common Data Set 2024-2025 (school-estimated)
Average merit award$11,259Across recipients, Common Data Set 2024-2025 (school-estimated)

Source: Common Data Set 2024-2025 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other The Citadel scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountNot published (includes financial support for student-led research and travel)EligibilitySelected top-performing cadets; funded by a Citadel alumnus; backed by President, Provost, Commandant, and Deans. Not a standard scholarship program — supports fellows pursuing national-level fellowships and graduate study.

Not an admissions merit scholarship; program supports existing enrolled cadets identified for academic achievement and ambition.

Source

AmountAmount not published on financial aid pages (Army, Navy, Air Force ROTC)EligibilityCadets participating in ROTC programs. Separate from institutional merit aid.

Referenced on the Cadet Scholarships page as a separate scholarship category. Details at https://www.citadel.edu/financial-aid/rotc-scholarships/

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityNot detailed on pages reviewed; separate category listed in Financial Aid menu.

Listed as a distinct scholarship category in the Financial Aid navigation. Page not reviewed in this extraction session.

Source

The Citadel merit aid FAQ

  • Does The Citadel have an automatic merit scholarship grid based on GPA and test scores?

    No. All three main freshman cadet merit scholarship tiers require a separate competitive application and invitation process after the student has already received an admission offer. There is no published automatic grid.

  • What does the Full Academic Scholarship actually cover?

    It covers catalog costs — tuition, room/board, and quartermaster charges. It does not cover the full federal Cost of Attendance, which also includes travel, personal expenses, and loan fees.

  • When will I find out if I am invited to apply for the Honors Program or Full Academic Scholarship?

    Invitations are issued by November and again by February of the applicant's senior year of high school.

  • Do I need to complete a separate scholarship application?

    Yes, for all three competitive tiers (Full Academic, Honors, 1842 Scholars). Most merit scholarships for incoming freshmen consider the standard admissions application, but the top-tier awards require a separate application and personal interview.

  • What GPA must I maintain to keep my Citadel scholarship?

    Most Citadel scholarships require a minimum 3.0 GPA. Renewal evaluations occur after spring grades are posted each year.

  • Can I receive the SC LIFE Scholarship AND a Citadel institutional scholarship?

    Yes, but combined total aid from all sources (federal, state, institutional, private) cannot exceed the COA. The state award may be reduced if there would be an over-award.

  • What is the 2026-27 FAFSA priority deadline for The Citadel?

    February 15, 2026, for priority consideration. Financial aid awards are packaged by March 15, 2026.

  • What is The Citadel's federal school code for the FAFSA?

    003423

  • Is the 1842 Scholars Program a scholarship or just an academic enrichment program?

    It is both: the official Citadel page describes it as 'an institutional merit-based scholarship program,' but no dollar amount is published on the site as of 2026-06-04.

  • What is the full Cost of Attendance for an SC-resident freshman cadet in 2026-27?

    $39,334 (including tuition & fees $14,390, living expenses $10,899, books/supplies/OneCard $9,300, travel $2,363, personal $2,320, loan fees $62).

See sources and other schools

How The Citadel compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    The Citadel is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    The Citadel is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against The Citadel’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

  • USC Upstate merit aid. South Carolina public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Winthrop merit aid. South Carolina public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • South Carolina merit aid. South Carolina public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Clemson merit aid. South Carolina public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring The Citadel merit aid