COVID-19-Related Admission Information

Test-Optional Policy

As a result of the cancellations of the spring and summer standardized test dates, as well as the uncertainties associated with the scheduled fall test dates, The Citadel will adopt a test-optional admission policy for students applying to enroll in the fall of 2021.

Candidates for fall 2021 admission may elect to have their application evaluted without consideration of ACT of SAT scores. Those that choose to do so may still submit standardized test results or other materials to support their application for admission. The Citadel will continue to use a holistic approach in evaluating an applicant's entire admission portfolio, with or without test scores. Specific attention will be given to the rigor of coursework, overall academic performance, and extracurricular experiences.

Applicants will indicate their preference to have their test scores considered (or not) by answering the appropriate question on the application for admission.

Test scores will be required in a few special circumstances:

Students who were educated in a non-traditional academic setting (e.g., schools without course-specific grades, pass/fail grading, or narrative evaluations)
Applicants seeking to participate in NCAA Division I sports (unless waived by the NCAA)
For South Carolina students, the state of South Carolina requires ACT or SAT scores in order to be considered for state scholarships, such as the LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Scholarship. Applicants may apply as test-optional and submit their scores after receiving academic acceptance.
International students whose native lanaguage in not English must submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Lanauge (TOEFL), ACT, or SAT.

High school students:

Coursework - The Citadel will review high school course evaluations as provided by the student’s high school in compliance with their state’s policies. Academic courses completed in spring 2020 with Pass (P) or Credit (CR) grades will satisfy appropriate academic requirements.

AP Credits - The College Board is moving the AP exams to an online format for 2020 to preserve the opportunity for students to benefit from the hard work they have put in this year. Full information for students is available on the College Board website here. The Citadel recognizes the effort that students have already invested in these challenging courses and will continue to award credit consistent with previous years for AP exams completed in 2020 with scores 3, 4, or 5.

Transfer students (Corps and Day Program):

The Citadel awards transfer credit for grades of C- or higher. For Spring 2020 grades, we will review each college/university’s pass/fail Covid-19 policy on each transcript and award credit for those classes with a pass equal to our existing transfer credit policy of a C- or higher.