The Citadel Acceptance Rate 2023 | Admissions, Requirements, & How to Apply

The Citadel’s acceptance rate, requirements, and how to apply are of importance to those aspiring applicants looking to this college as their first choice of Military school.

Located in the South of Carolina, The Citadel is lightly selective with an admission rate of 80%,

The Citadel with its simplified admission process gives everyone a high chance of admission for simply fulfilling its requirements.

According to College Factual Ranking, The Citadel is #315 out of 2,576 colleges and universities in the country on its 2022 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 15% of all schools in the nation.

With its largely above-average acceptance rate, it is a recommended start for academic progress.

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Why Choose The Citadel?

Students at The Citadel have access to exceptional privileges that are not available to them throughout a typical college experience. The institution offers a foundation of leadership and confidence that lasts a lifetime, regardless of the type of job, military or otherwise, a student wants to pursue.

Employers admire and appreciate Citadel graduates much more because of their history and potential. Citadel graduates excel because they understand what it takes to meet a challenge in any sector via character development, leadership, teamwork, discipline, and physical fitness.

Is The Citadel Hard to Get Into?

The Citadel has a rather peculiar system of admissions, alongside a GPA of 3.68, SATs, and an acceptance rate of 80%.

The Citadel should be considered relatively easy in getting accepted, that would be the case if the Citadel wasn’t so particular about your behavioral report.

The institution is really particular about the manners and morals of every student admitted as they require a letter of recommendation from counselors and guardians.

So yes The Citadel is easy to get into as long as you have a good behavioral record and good grades.

What is The Citadel Acceptance Rate?

If you are interested in applying to the Citadel as a student, the University has an average acceptance rate of 80%. Although admissions are competitive due to their holistic method of admissions.

Simply follow the admissions process, prove to be of good character and you’re a step closer to becoming a student of the Citadel.

What is The Citadel Transfer Acceptance Rate? 

Transfer students are accepted into the corps at the beginning of the fall semester, and non-cadets programs at the beginning of fall and spring semesters.

Out of every 217 transfer students, 138 were enrolled which is a good average of 63.59%.

The entire student body of The Citadel is made up of 3% transfer students, so most likely won’t be alone.

The Citadel Acceptance Rate by Major

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 35 majors graduated from Citadel Military College of South Carolina. Of these students, 673 received undergraduate degrees, and 318 graduated with a master’s or doctor’s degree. 

The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average acceptance rate for each major.

Some of the most known majors include.

• Criminal justice/Law Enforcement Administration
• Biology/Biological sciences
• Mechanical Engineering
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Intelligence and Security Studies

Criminal justice/Law Enforcement Administration

The Criminal Justice & Corrections major is part of the homeland security, law enforcement & firefighting program at Citadel Military College of South Carolina.

The graduates of this major go on to be law enforcers, and defenders of justice and provide safety for the citizens.

It takes a bit more than good grades to be accepted, as heart and commitment are well needed

With an acceptance rate of 9.5%, it is a challenging and competitive major.

Biology/Biological Sciences

The General Biology major is part of the biological & biomedical sciences program at Citadel Military College of South Carolina.

A fundamental and intricate part of human development, evolution, health, and living in general which very much determines our existence on the planet.

The Citadel offers a high teacher-to-student relationship for the biology major.

The Citadel also offers:

• Bachelor’s degree in biology
• Master’s degree in biology

The acceptance rate of 4.3%, with its importance to human living, is quite difficult getting in.

Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering Program of Study offers focused tracks in Power and Energy, Manufacturing, Aeronautical Systems, Materials (Composites), and Mechatronics. 

The Citadel has some modern lab equipment to supplement our classroom instruction and provide some “hands-on” learning. 

The acceptance rate is 10.8%.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The mission of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is to provide a nationally recognized student-centered learning environment for the development of disciplined leaders.

Our curriculum underlines theoretical and practical engineering concepts, in a collaborative collegial environment on campus.

The acceptance rate is 6.2%

Graduate Degree and Certificate Programs

• The Master of Science in Civil Engineering program provides a student-centered learning environment focused on advanced applied engineering methods and professional skills.
• Graduate certificates are offered in the following areas: Built Environment and Public Health, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Transportation Engineering

Intelligence and Security Studies

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Intelligence and Security Studies (ISS) is designed to meet the national security and intelligence needs of military, federal, state, and local governmental agencies, private corporations engaged in intelligence and security fields, and others who are interested in gaining greater knowledge about the field of intelligence and security studies. 

Furthermore, the BA consists of 15 courses offered by various academic units at The Citadel. The acceptance rate for this major is 4.3%.

What Are The Citadel Admission Requirements

According to the school’s website, “The Citadel seeks to determine acceptability through a thorough evaluation of each applicant’s character, maturity, motivation, readiness for college, amenability to a regimented lifestyle, emotional stability, and potential to contribute to cadet life.

The following would be required to be considered for admission.

1. The college has a comprehensive admission system that requires an average GPA of 3.68, and an SAT of 1118.
2. Furthermore, successful applicants will have completed a rigorous high school curriculum which includes four units of English and math, three units of laboratory science and social science, two units of the same world language, one unit of fine arts, one unit of physical education or ROTC, and two units of electives
3. Application fee 40$
4. The submission of the completed application for admission
5. A letter of counselor’s recommendation.
6. The Citadel Surgeon requires medical approval after academic acceptance. Forms are here.
7. Candidate must be between 17-23 of age on the date of matriculation

International students

1. Please submit the Undergraduate International Student Immigration Supplement and the application for admission.
2. Those from non-English speaking countries would need to submit a TOEFL – 5108.

Transfer Requirement for The Citadel

The Citadel is an open and accepting school, one major reason for the high acceptance rate.

The college offers a large variety of undergraduate courses, available for all students including transfer students.

With no particular restriction or difference in teaching, here’s a list of admission requirements for transfers.

1. transfer students must be high school graduates or possess a GED.
2. Must submit the completed application for admission along with the application fee.
3. Must provide an official copy of the high school transcript for evaluation of academic performance (coursework and grades).  Transcripts can be provided by schools utilizing various official digital credentialing services or sent via U.S. mail from the school directly to The Citadel Admissions Office / 171 Moultrie St. / Charleston, SC 29409.
4. Transfer applicants must have an accumulation of at least 24 hours of college credit with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.00 scale (a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for consideration). This is while taking courses equivalent to those offered at The Citadel. 

Applicants with less than two full-time semesters of college work will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Official college transcripts must be provided to the Admissions Office.

5. Medical approval by The Citadel Surgeon. Forms are here.
6. Married individuals are not qualified.

What GPA Do I Need To Get Into The Citadel

If you are interested in joining The Citadel, students are advised to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.68. The Citadel expects its applicants to have a mixture of A’s and B’s in their high school academic records.

Also, students who have lower grades can compensate with harder classes like AP and IB. This will prove to the admission readers that you are more capable of handling difficult academic classes than other applicants.

What Are The Citadel Deadlines?

The Citadel has a very simplified admissions process that allows applicants to be considered.

However, it is one of the few schools that do not have an admissions deadline. The Citadel has rolling admissions which imply that the institution evaluates each student’s application as they are received.

If you are highly interested in Citadel Military College of South Carolina, you should submit your application by the priority deadline (if there is one). Rolling admissions works on a first come, first serve basis, and the sooner you apply, the sooner you’ll hear back.

What Are The Citadel Decision Dates?

Applicants will receive communication via email once their application is completed and sent out for review. Application review timelines vary by program.

In general, applicants can expect to receive a decision within 5-10 business days. You will be notified via email as soon as your decision is ready. Admission decisions cannot be given out over the phone.

How to Apply to The Citadel

To be considered for admission into The Citadel, applicants are expected to have the admission requirements either as a freshman, transfer, or international student.

After acquiring the admission prerequisite, applicants should proceed to the CItadel website and fill out the application forms.

To apply for the undergraduate program, the following steps should be carried out.

• Create an account: Applicants are advised to use an email other than your school email to create their account. This will allow you to continue to receive emails from WIU after you have graduated.
• The fee to complete an application is $40. Applicants on free or reduced lunch qualify for an application fee waiver.
• Incoming freshmen have the option to self-report their test scores, GPA, and grades which will be used to make their admission decision. Juniors may apply now and can provide self-reported information or a transcript after completion of the junior year.
• You must have completed your junior year to self-report your academic information.
• You may want a copy of your transcript to reference when responding to the self-reported academic questions

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

How Much Money Do The Citadel Graduates Make?

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel make about $56,800 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is good news for future Citadel graduates since it is 43% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $39,802 per year.

Can you go to the Citadel and not be in the military?

While all students are required to participate in ROTC all 4 years, they are not required to enter the military upon graduation.

Can Females go to the Citadel?

Yes. Today at Citadel, women are fully part of the cadet life.

Can you have your phone in the Citadel?

Cell phones must be kept in book bags and programmed in a non-sounding setting and remain in the “silent” or “vibrate” mode when outside the barracks. – Messages may only be retrieved during transitional periods (i.e. before class, between classes) and must be done inside of a building, but outside of the classroom.

Conclusion

The Citadel has a high acceptance rate of 80% which is way above the national average of colleges which is around 58%. 

Furthermore, The Citadel students are educated and nurtured in a military system that emphasizes leadership and character training through the Four Pillars of Learning: Academics, Military, Fitness, and Character. This training acquired makes its graduates stand out in any setting.

References 

• go.citadel.edu – The Citadel Admission Requirements 
• campusreel.org– Transfer Student Rate
• college factual.com – The Citadel Majors
• citadel.edu – Benefits of Attending a Military College
• citadel.edu – Majors and Minors at The Citadel
• plexuss.com – When is the application deadline for Citadel Military College of South Carolina?

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