The Citadel Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP)
Stack up to $16,500 per year toward tuition at The Citadel. No Basic Training Required – Stay on Campus & Keep Your Citadel Experience Uninterrupted.
Join one of the largest programs and prestigious Army ROTC battalions in the nation – accelerate your development, no civilian school can match.
How it works
Cadets serve in the ARNG and Citadel Army ROTC simultaneously, drill one weekend per month on campus, and commission as Second Lieutenants at graduation — choosing Active Army, Army Reserve, or ARNG.
Critical FAQ point
Cadets must enlist through SFC Tucker (The Citadel ARNG office) to receive the State CAP ($12,000/yr). Enlisting through a hometown recruiter likely forfeits it or complicates your path. Out-of-state cadets should contact SFC Tucker to process at their nearest MEPS.
Key benefits
- No Basic Training required — stay on campus, matriculate on time
- Paid monthly drill on campus; SCARNG is the only SMP program that drills on campus and provides flexible summer training plans
- Non-deployable status throughout college as an SMP cadet
- Time in Service starts immediately (pay, promotion, retirement)
- Tricare Reserve Select (medical insurance)
- Flexibility — SMP MOS has no bearing on officer career; can still go Active Duty/etc.
- Scholarships may be available
South Carolina Army National Guard
Palmetto Battalion Army ROTC
One of the largest SMP sites in the nation, and the only one that drills on the Citadel campus
Hundreds of cadets are in the program at any time. Drill is peer-led on campus with dedicated support staff, so cadets without a car, and cadets from other states, are never stuck finding a ride to a unit across the state.
Dual participation
Enlist as an 09R SMP cadet in the SCARNG and complete ROTC at The Citadel. One two-day drill a month on campus. No required summer training; summer training plans are flexible.
Education first
Non-deployable status for the whole time you're in school. All required training is completed through ROTC, so cadets matriculate on time.
Commission with options
Graduate as a Second Lieutenant into the Army National Guard (any state), the Army Reserve, or Active Duty Army. Your enlisted MOS never limits your officer career.
What a cadet gets while still a cadet
Financial
- SC National Guard College Assistance Program (CAP) · $4,000 per semester, including summer sessions. Exclusive to SCARNG SMP cadets.
- Federal Tuition Assistance · $4,500 per year.
- ROTC stipend · up to $420 per month, once contracted with ROTC.
- Drill pay · $333–$462/moPromotion to E-5 once contracted with ROTC
- Book allowance · $1,200 per year once contracted with ROTC.
- MGIB-SR and kicker · for cadets who have already completed BCT and AIT.
Service and lifestyle
- No Basic Combat Training required if not already completed.
- Monthly two-day drill on campus · no required annual training; flexible summer training plans.
- Non-deployable throughout college as an SMP cadet.
- Time in service starts at enlistment · counts toward pay, promotion, and retirement.
- TRICARE Reserve Select eligibility and SGLI.
- Mentorship from Soldiers and NCOs in a real Guard unit.
Senior year of high school to commissioning
Enlist as 09R
Through the on-campus recruiter, into the SCARNG, once you hold a high school diploma. Seniors start with SFC Tucker during senior year so MEPS and tuition assistance deadlines are met before August. Tuition assistance eligibility begins at enlistment.
Contract with ROTC
Promotion to E-5, the $420 stipend, and the $1,200 book allowance begin at contracting. [Typical timing for a knob to be added]
Commission
At graduation the ROTC commission supersedes the enlistment. Choose Guard, Reserve, or Active Duty.
Basic qualifications
General standards for enlistment. Your recruiter makes the final determination, and many items below can be waived.
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Age 17 to 35 (parental consent at 17)
- High school diploma (seniors begin the process before graduation)
- Qualifying ASVAB score
- Meet height, weight, and physical standards
- Medically qualified at MEPS
- Meet moral standards (legal history reviewed case by case)
Age and other standards to be confirmed against current SCARNG guidance before publication.
Before you apply: a quick self-check
Check anything that applies to see what to raise with SFC Tucker first. Nothing here is recorded; you answer the same questions when you request information, book a meeting, or apply.
Scholarships that stack with SMP
| Program | Covers | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEDNG Dedicated ARNG Scholarship | Full tuition or $10,000/yr room and board, $1,200 books, $420/mo stipend | Up to 4 years | Requires SMP participation. Not usable with MGIB-SR. |
| GRFD Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty | Full tuition and fees or $10,000/yr room and board, $1,200 books, $420/mo stipend | Up to 2 years | Mainly rising juniors. MGIB-SR kicker possible (~$350/mo). |
| Minuteman | Full tuition and fees or $10,000/yr room and board, $1,200 books, $420/mo stipend | 2 to 4 years | Requires TAG or CASA nomination. 8-year Guard officer obligation after commissioning. |
| MGIB-SR + kicker | Monthly education benefit | While eligible | Only for cadets who have completed BCT and AIT. |
Scholarship amounts come from Army ROTC and SCARNG published figures and change by year. Confirm with SFC Tucker and armyrotc@citadel.edu before relying on them.
Six steps from first contact to enlistment
All 6 steps will be done with SFC Tucker
Submit the prescreen and application
Part A online (five minutes), then Part B in the Applicant portal. The application packet is emailed to you the moment Part B is in; fill it out and send it back to SFC Tucker. No Social Security number or medical history is collected online.
Provide source documents
The most important step. Driver's license or state ID, Social Security card, birth certificate, and passport if you have one. Incoming freshmen also send their Citadel acceptance letter and, at graduation, their high school diploma. Email them to SFC Tucker or bring them to Bond Hall.
Sign forms
MEPS medical prescreen forms, signed in SFC Tucker's office or emailed to you to sign and return. MEPS Medical reviews them and clears you to schedule.
Live Scan fingerprints
Background check, valid 120 days. Captured in SFC Tucker's office; if you are outside the Charleston area, any local military recruiter can capture them for you.
MEPS physical and ASVAB
Fort Jackson, Columbia SC, or the MEPS nearest you if out of state. One full day.
Enlist
Oath of Enlistment as an SMP 09R cadet in the SCARNG. Welcome packet and drill schedule follow.
Start here: online prescreen (Part A)
Takes about five minutes. This creates your record with SFC Tucker and SGT Schneider and sends you your next steps. Part B, the full prescreen, is completed in the Applicant portal afterward and is pre-filled from this form. No Social Security number or medical history is collected online.
Then: Part B in the Applicant portal
Sign in with your applicant ID and last name. Part B is the full prescreen: school, address, date of birth, prior service, law violations, tattoos, parent or guardian, and how you heard about the program. About ten minutes, pre-filled from Part A.
Then: your application packet arrives by email
As soon as Part B is submitted, SFC Tucker's next-steps letter and the fillable SMP Application Packet (PDF, 7 pages) are emailed to you and pinned in your portal. Fill out every page, save it, and email it back to zachary.w.tucker.mil@army.mil. The letter also lists the documents to send first.
Questions cadets and parents ask
What does 09R mean?
Do I have to enlist through The Citadel's recruiter?
What if I'm from another state?
Can I still go Active Duty after graduation?
When do E-5 pay and the stipend start?
Is there Basic Training or summer training?
Will I deploy?
How much tuition assistance can I get?
Am I eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill?
I'm still in high school. Can I enlist now?
What happens after graduation?
No match. Try another word, or send the question through the form below.
See the program
Talk to the on-campus recruiter before you enlist anywhere
SFC Zachary W. Tucker
On-Campus ARNG Recruiter · Bond Hall, 171 Moultrie St, Charleston SC 29409
843-781-2849zachary.w.tucker.mil@army.milarmyrotc@citadel.eduCitadel Army ROTCBook a meeting with SFC Tucker
In the live site this is Microsoft Bookings: the meeting lands on SFC Tucker's calendar with a confirmation to you.
Request information
If you plan to attend The Citadel, enlist only as SMP 09R in the South Carolina Army National Guard.
Do not enlist in another option or another state's Guard first, regardless of where you live. Other recruiters may offer "SMP," but only the SCARNG option through the on-campus recruiter carries the state CAP benefit and on-campus drill. Contact SFC Tucker before signing anything.
Cadets who join SMP through the Army Reserves or another state are not eligible for CAP or monthly on-campus drills with our program – ensure you contact SFC Tucker before enlisting