Welcome to The Citadel Family Association
President and Commandant's Parent Presentation >>
From Matriculation Day forward, you are automatically a member of this support network that is only a mouse click, phone call or email away. Your son or daughter journeys down the road less traveled, the CFA is here to support you through a readily available network. Representatives at each level are parents of current upper-class cadets. This site and the CFA Facebook page are kept up to date with information provided directly from the school, making them great first-hand sources of information with just a click of a mouse.
Since its inception in 1993, The Citadel Family Association (CFA) has been dedicated to three main goals:
- To provide information to, and support for, the families of current cadets
- To provide families with a forum for discussion of common interests
- To support college initiatives.
From The Citadel Newsroom
The road less traveled happens to be in the path of totality for the 2017 total solar eclipse. From earth to space, The Citadel and Charleston will be at the epicenter of eclipse activities and news.
- Meet Col. Randy Bresnik, USMC (Ret), an '89 grad and Commander of the NASA International Space Station Expedition
- Physics Dept. seminar: Saturday, August 19 at 7pm in Byrd Hall; open to everyone
- Charleston Visitor Center Go Dark Charleston
From the Office of Admissions
Welcome to the Class of 2021! Now that the excitement of Matriculation Day is over and many of you have returned home, it's time to take a moment to review information that will be helpful in the coming days, weeks and months. To assist, we've compiled a list of helpful resources. So go ahead and download a copy of our CFA A to Z Guide. Use it to make notes or jot down questions you may have. Your Battalion and Company parent reps are ready to take your call or answer your email. You can find a list of these amazing volunteers right here on our website. Just look under Our Organization.
Follow us on Facebook (Citadel Family Association) and bookmark this page to find out the latest on events important to parents and families.
What if my student forgets something? The Cadet Store and bookstore stock the most commonly needed items. All cadets have a mailbox, which is located in Mark Clark Hall next to the bookstore. If a package doesn't fit in the mailbox, it will be sent to the central warehouse.
Upcoming Events
What's next? Parents Weekend! October 6-8. As soon as the college completes the plans for Parents Weekend, we'll post updates right here and on Facebook. One of the highlights for senior cadets is the Ring Ceremony. The ring has symbolized outstanding accomplishments both by the Corps of Cadets and South Carolina. Read about the history of the ring and follow links to the Citadel Alumni Association to learn about the ordering process.
Check out those cool people in the blue shirts. That's us! The CFA Blue Shirt Army. We assisted nearly 800 cadets and their families on Matriculation Day.
When is...?
Use this Master Calendar to quickly find when an event will be taking place on campus. Works great on your cellphone!
Another great resource is the Training Schedule webpage. The weekly Corps of Cadets schedules will have the most updated information, but even this schedule is subject to change at any time.
Auxiliary Services
We see a lot of questions on Facebook about day to day services that support the school and cadets. Auxiliary Services include laundry, bookstore, barber shop, The Tailor and Embroidery Shop, dining halls, The Cadet Store and a few others.
One important service families should become familiar with is the OneCard. Students, faculty and staff are issued IDs called OneCard. It also serves as a debit card. There is a "Restricted" account and an "Open" account. Complete details about how these accounts work for cadets can be found on the OneCard site.
From the Office of Operations & Administration
Since approximately 1993, The Citadel has provided a courier service to cadets for transportation to doctor visits, pharmacies, and other such appointments. After an analysis of the cost of the service and the cost to operate the service was conducted, it was determined that there are viable alternatives to cadets available at a similar or lower cost. Options to cadets for non-emergency care are taxis, Uber, and CARTA (the local bus service). Cadets will be responsible for their own transportation needs after 15 June 2017. EMS should be used for emergency care.
From the Parents Program
As an important advisor, you may find it challenging to find effective ways to encourage your cadet to stay focused. To help with those conversations, we have posted on The Adjutant page of the Parents website links to subjects we hope you will discuss with your Cadet. For underclassmen parents, take a peek at the remaining class years' information. You will want to review these just before fall semester begins.
You can access these links via The Adjutant Page or by going straight to the individual pages by clicking on the appropriate link below:
- If your Cadet is currently a Senior who will graduate in May
- If your Cadet is currently a Junior
- If your Cadet is currently a Sophomore
- If your Cadet is currently a Freshman
If you have any questions, please send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To help with planning travel and visits, we've put together a few important dates. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a few that parents are generally most interested in. It's important that cadets monitor changes that may be communicated via campus email or the training schedules. We encourage you to contact your CFA company or battalion representive or your cadet's company TAC officer (TACTICAL OFFICERS and NCOs) if you have questions or concerns. These conversations are kept private and will help you to quickly and directly find the accurate information you need to help advise your cadet.
Key Dates and Events 2017-18:
- 06 August - Cadre Reports (should confirm with their leadership)
- 12 August – Class of 2021 Reports (Matriculation Day)
- 20 August - Upperclassmen Report
- 23 August - Fall Classes Start
- 06 October - Ring Presentation and Ring Ceremony events
- 07 October - Parents Day
- 27-29 October - Homecoming Weekend
- 17 November - Fall Break begins after the last class
- 26 November - Fall Break ends - SCCC return to campus
- 1-3 December - Christmas Candlelight Service
- 13 December - Winter Furlough begins
- 7 January - Winter Furlough ends - SCCC return to campus
- 9 March - Spring Break begins after the last class
- 18 March - Spring Break ends - SCCC return to campus
- 22-25 March - Corps Day Weekend (Recognition Day)
- 4 May - The Long Gray Line Graduation Parade
- 5 May - Commencement (Summer Furlough begins)
Visiting Campus? Map and Virtual Tour
Look for visitor parking designated as V on the map.
Accommodations
The Citadel has arranged a number of discounted hotel rates in the Charleston area.