Cost & financial aid brief
Citadel Military College of South Carolina Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Citadel Military College of South Carolina cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price is $20,723, leaving a sticker-to-net gap of $13,157.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, 344 first-year students were determined to have financial need. Among those, the average share of need met was 57%, with an average need-based grant of $18,007 and an average total package of $19,509.
Need was fully met for 60 of those students. Separately, 248 first-year students received merit awards averaging $9,317 for the 2025-26 academic year.
The pattern across income bands shows lower at lower incomes, with the lowest band averaging $15,430 and the highest $24,047. That is a description of averages, not a guarantee for any individual family.
The published cost of attendance at Citadel Military College of South Carolina is $33,880. Azimuth ranks the university #683 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $15,430, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $18,140, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $24,047. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,617.
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $20,723, which is $6,655 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,096 in federal student loans. That is $133 below the $21,229 peer median.
About 89.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $33,899.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 a month. It estimates what a family might pay, rather than relying on published averages alone.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
About 89.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Borrowers who complete a degree at Citadel Military College of South Carolina leave with a median of $21,096 in federal student loans.
That median sits $133 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $33,899.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 58% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $38,217 per borrower. Of those, including 55% of graduates who held federal loans, the average was $18,735. Of graduates, 21% held private loans, averaging $56,130.
At Citadel Military College of South Carolina, earnings four years after completion reach $74,517 for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled. That amount exceeds the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $17,216.
Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,269 less than expects for similar students.
The gap between actual and expected earnings sits at the 24th percentile. Estimated from the program mix, the earnings scenarios run from $62,858 on the downside through $74,517 typically to $86,678 on the upside.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $21,096 in federal loans. That amount is $133 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings exceed the peer median but fall short of the model's expectation, while debt sits almost close to that same group.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $33,899. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $33,899
- Estimated parent payment
- $431/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $21,096
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $33,899
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $240/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $431/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $671/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $74,517, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.5% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.