The Citadel vs United States Air Force Academy

Citadel Military College of South Carolina and United States Air Force Academy stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. Citadel, a public military college, boasts a long history dating back to 1842, while the Air Force Academy, a federal service academy, was established in 1954. With acceptance rates of 28% and 13%, respectively, both institutions are highly selective. Citadel's student body is predominantly male (85%), while the Air Force Academy's is more evenly distributed (62% male, 38% female). Popular majors at Citadel include Business, Engineering, and Criminal Justice, while the Air Force Academy emphasizes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Citadel at 67% and the Air Force Academy at 88%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive
Citadel Military College of South Carolina logo

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

United States Air Force Academy logo

United States Air Force Academy

Overview

Location Charleston, South Carolina USAF Academy, Colorado
Campus setting City: Midsize Town: Fringe
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 86.0% 93.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 86.4% 12.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $40
SAT range N/A 1208 - 1490
ACT range N/A 29 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 35.0%
Students submitting ACT score 21.0%
Total number of applicants 2,470 11,687
Total number of admissions given out 2,134 1,453
Admitted students who chose to enroll 566 1,091
Yield rate 26.5% 75.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Required
High school transcript Not required Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $48,551

Out of state: $71,807
Average net price $19,473
Tuition
In state: $8,356

Out of state: $30,857
Room & board $7,593
Available payment plans

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

79.0%
Average amount $11,451
Students receiving federal student loan 49.0%
Average amount $5,200
Students taking out private loans 17.0%
Average amount $26,781

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,718
Men 86.4% Women 13.6%
4,181
Men 71.4% Women 28.6%
Graduate students 975
Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
N/A
Out-of-state students 44.0% N/A
International students 1.1% N/A
Campus local/setting City: Midsize Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity 2,372 4,200
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida New York N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Education
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Psychology
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio 11:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 73.1% 86.1%
Dropout rate 9.1% 13.9%
Transferred out 16.0% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,909
  • Year 2: $82,123
  • Year 3: $97,617
Engineering-Related Fields (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $86,129
  • Year 3: $95,438
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,390
  • Year 2: $63,692
  • Year 3: $73,572
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,512
  • Year 2: $59,071
  • Year 3: $68,635
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,853
  • Year 2: $40,017
  • Year 3: $57,251
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,394
  • Year 2: $48,617
  • Year 3: $55,395
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,673
  • Year 2: $41,342
  • Year 3: $55,155
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,273
  • Year 2: $39,009
  • Year 3: $52,597
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,924
  • Year 2: $37,856
  • Year 3: $49,110
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $45,696
  • Year 3: $46,799
N/A