Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 11, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	CEL SCI CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000725363
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2019
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		35,379,956
Entity Public Float			$ 100,321,037
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019