Virginia Military Institute vs The Citadel

Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and The Citadel Military College of South Carolina (Citadel) are two of the six senior military colleges in the United States, offering a unique blend of academic rigor and military training. While both institutions share a commitment to leadership development and producing well-rounded graduates, they also have distinct characteristics that set them apart. This side-by-side comparison delves into the key differences between VMI and Citadel, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Whether you're an aspiring cadet seeking a challenging and transformative educational experience or a parent exploring options for your child's higher education, this comprehensive analysis will help you understand the nuances of each institution and make an informed decision about the best fit for your individual needs and aspirations.

	Citadel Military College of South Carolina	Virginia Military Institute
Overview
Location	Charleston, South Carolina	Lexington, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
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%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.4%	63.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	$40
SAT range	N/A	1080 - 1300
ACT range	N/A	22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score		12.0%
Total number of applicants	2,470	1,549
Total number of admissions given out	2,134	990
Admitted students who chose to enroll	566	461
Yield rate	26.5%	46.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not 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	In state: $33,182 Out of state: $61,836
Average net price	$19,473	$18,100
Tuition	In state: $8,356 Out of state: $30,857	In state: $9,782 Out of state: $38,436
Room & board	$7,593	Room/dormitory: $3,102 Meal plan: $7,260
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $11,451	91.0% Average amount $10,832
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,200	59.0% Average amount $3,385
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $26,781	11.0% Average amount $22,604

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,718 Men 86.4% Women 13.6%	1,652 Men 86.2% Women 13.8%
Graduate students	975 Men 50.1% Women 49.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	44.0%	38.2%
International students	1.1%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,372	1,751
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	Virginia Pennsylvania Maryland North Carolina New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Engineering Social Sciences Psychology Biological and Biomedical Sciences History
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.1%	73.7%
Dropout rate	9.1%	4.4%
Transferred out	16.0%	21.7%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,118 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $60,559 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,215 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $59,186 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,030 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $57,955 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,302 Year 2: $39,305 Year 3: $55,311 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,325 Year 2: $45,094 Year 3: $55,205 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,487 Year 2: $38,649 Year 3: $52,930 Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,025 Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: $52,845 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,712 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $43,814 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,367 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,671 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A

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Virginia Military Institute vs The Citadel

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Virginia Military Institute

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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