The Citadel is supported by the State of South Carolina. The costs of operation are underwritten through fees collected from the students, appropriations made by the General Assembly of South Carolina, and contributions to The Citadel. Nonresidents are required to pay a larger portion of the costs of their education than is required of residents of South Carolina.
The Citadel’s Student Business Services is responsible for the collection of monies due The Citadel. All correspondence concerning fees, payments, and status of accounts should be directed to that office. If referral to a collection agency is required for overdrawn accounts, the amount referred will include the collection agency fee.
If an account is unpaid, the college will initiate internal and external collections proceedings.
These proceedings will include credit bureau reporting, referring accounts to outside collections and State of South Carolina collection efforts. Accounts referred for collection will incur additional collection costs paid by the student.
Fees
Students attending the day program at The Citadel pay three primary fees: college fees, auxiliary fees, and a OneCard Restricted deposit. Active duty military personnel assigned to military units for educational purposes pay the same college fees as cadets. The college reserves the right to adjust fees to meet the current cost of operation should it become necessary. This applies to all educational programs at The Citadel. Current fees are available on The Citadel’s web page.
The student assumes responsibility for payment of all fees and overdrafts. All fees and deposits are due and payable by semester, prior to the date of reporting to school. Bills are normally due the first Friday in August. Failure to meet billing deadlines subjects the student to being dropped from enrollment at The Citadel. For incoming freshman cadets or returning upper class cadets, failure to meet billing deadlines may result in the loss of space in the Corps of Cadets and a late payment charge. Remittances by money order or check should be made payable to The Citadel and mailed to the Student Business Services, The Citadel, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29409. Remittances by credit card (Mastercard, Visa, Discover, or American Express) may be paid on line via a secure connection at the citadel.edu website. There may be a 2.75% convenience fee charged for the use of credit card payments, but no charge for e-check payments.
Information relative to financing educational fees on a monthly installment basis may be secured by contacting Student Business Services at The Citadel or by viewing the office’s link on The Citadel’s web page at citadel.edu. The Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships also has information concerning financing educational fees through loans other than the guaranteed student loan. Financing arrangements require time for processing, so it is essential that application be made as early as possible prior to the beginning of the school year.
Overdrawn Accounts: A student whose account is overdrawn will not be issued or be allowed to send copies of his or her official transcript, be issued a diploma, or be permitted to enroll in additional course work until satisfactory settlement of the account has been made.
Non-negotiable Checks: There will be a handling charge of $30 for a non-negotiable check. The college will pursue collection procedures as provided by the laws of the State of South Carolina. The Citadel will not accept personal checks from individuals who have issued two non-negotiable checks or one non-negotiable check which has not been redeemed.
ATM machine: The college contracts with a major bank to provide an ATM machine in Mark Clark Hall. Students can access their personal bank accounts through this machine. This is a convenient and secure method to handle cash and eliminates the need for students to have large amounts of cash on hand.
Resident Tuition and Fees
Any undergraduate student or prospective student whose status concerning entitlement to payment of in-state tuition and fees is uncertain has the responsibility of securing a ruling from The Citadel by providing all relevant information on special application forms. These forms can be obtained from the Office of the Registrar and are to be completed and returned to that office at least two weeks prior to the last day of classes for any semester or summer term for which the student is attempting to qualify for payment of the in-state tuition and fee rate. Until such time that eligibility for residency is confirmed, out-of-state fees will be due and payable. Refunds will be issued when a ruling awards in-state status.
Eligibility for payment of in-state tuition and fees shall be determined under the provisions of Sections 59-112-10 through 59-112-100, South Carolina Code of Laws, 1976, as amended. A copy of this law may be obtained from The Citadel Registrar’s Office.
Fee Descriptions
College fees support the general operations of the college. A portion of college fees is earmarked to provide debt service for bonds issued to support construction and renovation of education and general facilities and equipment of the college. These are the only fees that are different for in state and out of state students. Auxiliary fees include athletic support, room, board, infirmary care, and laundry and dry cleaning. A portion of these fees is designed to pay debt service for the auxiliary and athletic facilities.
OneCard Restricted deposit is used to pay for uniforms, uniform alterations, accessories, books, academic supplies, and haircuts. The amount of the deposit is determined annually based upon the average needs of cadets. Certain academic programs and certain corps activities will require other expenditures that are unique to that activity. If a cadet’s costs exceed the deposit amount, the cadet will be required to pay in full or provide additional deposit money. Any unused portion of the deposit will be carried over to the following semester. All unspent funds will be refunded upon graduation or discharge.
Uniforms: All cadets are required to wear The Citadel uniform, which is issued by the College. New cadets are required to be outfitted in new uniforms and uniform accessories issued by the college. New cadets should not bring a supply of civilian clothes other than those which are worn upon reporting to the college, as they are not permitted to wear civilian clothes except during authorized furloughs.
The cost of uniforms, although a paid fee, should be viewed as a clothing expense which is incidental to attending any college. With proper care, uniforms should last for several years. Requirements in subsequent years will depend on the manner in which cadets have cared for their uniforms. The overall cost of the uniforms should not exceed that which would be incurred in purchasing clothes to attend a civilian college. Additional sets of uniforms may be purchased as desired (for cash) in the Cadet Store.
The woolen uniforms issued to cadets are custom-made for The Citadel. Once the uniforms have been fitted, the entire cost will be charged to the cadet. Since the uniforms are tailor-made to the measurements of each cadet after enrollment at The Citadel, every cadet withdrawing from college will be charged a fee for canceling the purchase of the uniforms.
In order to keep the appearance of the Corps of Cadets at the highest level, an inspection will be made of the uniforms of members of the sophomore, junior, and senior classes at the beginning of the school year. If the uniforms do not meet the minimum standards of appearance, the individual will be required to purchase replacements of unserviceable uniform items.
Cost of Attendance
The Cost of Attendance (COA) budget figure is different than the school’s catalog costs - or actual billing charges that the student pays to attend the college each year. The COA figure is an annual budget number regulated by the federal government that serves as a ceiling in each student’s financial aid account. This means that the COA limits the total amount of loans, grants, and scholarships (aid) that the school can award each year.
The individual budget line items used to establish the COA is the total cost of attendance. The COA is always higher than the school’s actual catalog costs, and it includes estimated costs that might be incurred each year beyond what the school charges, such as travel/transportation expenses, loan fees, and personal items. View Cost of Attendance information here.
The Citadel Tuition Payment Plan
The Citadel Tuition Payment Plan (CTPP) allows all students and families to finance the cost of Tuition, Auxiliary Fees (Housing/Room/Board), and OneCard. Enrollment deadlines can be found on the Student Business Services’ web page at https://www.citadel.edu/sbs/. Failure to pay any outstanding balance by the end of the semester will result in a registration hold being placed on their account until the balance is paid off.
Statement of Students’ Accounts
Students have three accounts at the Citadel, a student account, the OneCard Restricted Account, and the Open Account. All are available for review on-line. It is incumbent upon the students to verify each charge or credit made to their accounts.
The Restricted Account and the Open Account are both different accounts on the OneCard.
The Restricted Account is automatically loaded each fall and spring semester. It is used to purchase scholastic items only. This includes books, supplies, haircuts, uniforms, tailoring, and accessories.
The Open Account on the One Card can be loaded with additional funds for use at campus facilities. The Open Account is used mainly to purchase food, drinks, and other items that cannot be purchase on the Restricted Account. To deposit funds, you can send cash or check to the One Card Office located in Bond Hall, room 244. You may also go online via Lesesne Gateway and navigate to Campus Center to deposit funds electronically to the Open Account.
Any unexpended OneCard balance will be held until the student withdraws or graduates from The Citadel.
Full athletic grant-in-aid and full academic scholarship recipients are not authorized to receive a refund. Balances in accounts of full athletic grant-in-aid recipients are refunded to the Athletic Department annually.
Other Fees
Reservation Deposit: A $300.00 reservation deposit is required of all newly accepted cadet applicants. This deposit assures class reservations and a barracks space and will be credited toward the cadet’s bill at registration.
Diploma Fee: The diploma fee is adjusted each year to address the current market price.
Transcript Fee: Information regarding transcripts is available on the Registrar’s Office web page: http://www.citadel.edu/root/registrar.
Laboratory/Orientation Fees: Laboratory/Orientation Fees are charged students taking certain designated courses or orientation programs. Fees are billed as part of the preregistered course load.
Technology Fee: A technology fee is charged each cadet. The fee partially offsets the cost of the various computer laboratories on campus and the costs associated with having computers in barracks rooms.
Late Fee: A significant late fee is charged to all students who are permitted to enroll, even though they may not have satisfied all the financial requirements, i.e. those who have not finalized federal financial aid. Students who sign up for a payment plan and fail to meet the requirements of that plan will be charged the same late fee at the time they fall behind.
Other Fees: In addition to the above, other fees that can be charged include: parking fees, infirmary charges, barracks damage, parking citations, yearbook, lost library books, library book late fees, rifle repair, and other fees directed by college officials.
Refunds
The Citadel is committed to many expenses based upon the anticipated enrollment of a student at the beginning of each semester. Registration at The Citadel is considered to be a contract binding students and their parents or guardians to charges for the entire semester.
However, students who withdraw during a semester may receive partial refunds based on the length of attendance. Refunds will be computed from the required reporting date until the withdrawal date as determined by the Registrar. No refunds will be made for less than $1.00.
In the event that a cadet receives a Medical Discharge, any refund due the cadet will follow the normal refund schedule policy as promulgated by the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs. In the event that the Medical Discharge is a direct consequence of an injury received during The Citadel training program, the cadet may request an adjustment to this policy. The Campus Assessment Team (CAT) will make the final decision on all such requests.
Authorized refunds are as follows:
The school is not subject to any State or Accrediting Agency refund policy.
The refund schedule can be found on the Student Business Services’ web page at https://www.citadel.edu/sbs/.
Deposits for Uniforms, Books, Supplies, and Accessories - OneCard Restricted Account:
Any unused portion of the deposit to the student’s account for uniforms, books, supplies, and accessories will be refunded within 30 days of graduation or discharge.
|
