Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
The Citadel
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
The Citadel
Quick Facts
In full:
The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Date:
1842 - present
Areas Of Involvement:
public education
Notable Alumni:
Nancy Mace
Pat Conroy
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
The Citadel
The Citadel Padgett-Thomas Barracks and Summerall Field, The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina.

The Citadel

college, Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Also known as: South Carolina Military Academy, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina(Show More)
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
‱History

News •

Texas A&M cruises to easy victory over The Citadel • Oct. 17, 2026, 4:45 PM ET (The Charleston Post and Courier)

The Citadel, public military college located in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. All undergraduate daytime students, known as cadets, are required to participate in one of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs. The college offers bachelor’s degree programs in business, education, engineering, arts, and sciences. Master’s degree programs are offered in business, education, and arts. Total enrollment exceeds 4,000.

The Citadel was established in 1842 and, along with the Arsenal in Columbia, formed the South Carolina Military Academy. Instruction began in 1843. Although the school has no direct affiliation with the U.S. military, graduates of The Citadel have fought in every conflict since the Mexican War (1846–48). Citadel cadets fired the first shots at Fort Sumter to begin the American Civil War, and the college was an important source of officers for the Confederate army. The school was occupied by Union forces from 1865 until 1879. The Arsenal was destroyed in 1865, and The Citadel reopened in 1882. Although women had been admitted to the graduate, summer, and evening classes, they were not eligible for full cadet status until a 1995 court case.

The first woman admitted to The Citadel was Shannon Faulkner, who fought a two-and-a-half-year legal battle to be able to attend the school. After a federal court ruled in her favor, she was admitted in August 1995. However, she left after six days, citing isolation. Her male counterparts celebrated her departure. The first woman to graduate from The Citadel was Nancy Mace, who entered the school in 1996 and graduated three years later. Mace wrote a book about her experiences called  In the Company of Men: A Woman at the Citadel. She was elected to Congress from South Carolina in 2020.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Tracy Grant.