Acceptance Rate
38%
Avg. SAT
1410
75th percentile
“In the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Clemson ignites your competitive fire with powerhouse engineering, rabid football fandom, and a small-town pulse that turns Tigers loose on the world.”
Clemson, SC
Location
Midsize Suburb
Campus Setting
You arrive at Clemson on land willed to South Carolina in 1889 by Thomas Green Clemson, a failed presidential candidate and plantation owner who struck it rich in California's gold fields; he insisted the school focus on agriculture and mechanics without religious strings attached, evolving from an all-male military outpost into a 28,000-student public powerhouse. You'll thrive here if you're an energetic extrovert who packs a tailgate cooler as readily as a textbook—collaborative doers from rural roots or suburban ambitions who chant 'C-L-E-M-S-O-N' without irony. The school's personality pulses with orange-blooded loyalty and Southern grit, but tradeoffs hit hard: the isolated Clemson bubble means Greenville's an hour away and Atlanta two, so if you crave urban buzz or mild winters, the humid summers and Friday-night-lights obsession might wear thin.
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Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Degree Levels Offered
You'll dive into hands-on classrooms where engineering majors prototype in the gleaming Watt Innovation Center and business students crunch real Michelin data, thanks to Clemson's land-grant roots fueling top-20 public programs in those fields—architecture stands out too, channeling Upstate textile heritage into sustainable designs. With a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, professors know your name in smaller seminars, but expect 300-seat lectures in gen-eds; undergrad research shines through Creative Inquiry teams tackling biofuels or autonomous vehicles at CU-ICAR, yet the massive scale dilutes Ivy-caliber seminars for non-honors tracks. Calhoun Honors College pulls top talent into seminars with Death Valley views, fostering a scrappy intellectual vibe that's more applied than abstract.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
23,401 undergrad • 5,676 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
72%
Black / African American
6%
Hispanic / Latino
8%
Asian
3%
Other / Multi-racial
12%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
Clemson, SC
Varsity Athletics
NCAA Athletics
Your week orbits football: Monday recovery from tailgates, Wednesday club meetings amid 500+ groups (from kayaking on Lake Hartwell to hip-hop dance), Friday pre-gaming at bars like The Esso Club, and Saturday's ritual sprint down The Hill to touch Howard's Rock before 82,000 roar in Death Valley. Greek life claims 20% in a residential system blending traditional dorms with themed halls for outdoorsy adventurers or future nurses, creating tight-knit vibes in this 90% in-state sea of orange. Positives abound in the welcoming, achievement-hungry energy, but challenges lurk—the party rep fuels binge-drinking woes, social scenes skew straight-laced Southern (less queer visibility), and the rural pocket leaves weekends quiet sans car.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
Atlantic Coast Conference
ROTC & Veteran Support
Army
Yes
Navy
No
Air Force
Yes
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Credit for military training
Yes
Dedicated point of contact for veteran support services
Yes
Recognized student veteran organization
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
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Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
93%
4 Years Graduation Rate
70%
6 Years Graduation Rate
86%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$71,513
93% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at Clemson University and return in the fall. 70% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 86% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
70%
4-5 years
16%
6-8 years
1%
Non-grad
13%
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Key Statistics
Type
Public
Tuition
$14,118
Acceptance
38%
Undergrads
23,401
4-Year Grad Rate
70%
Endowment
$1.0B
Clemson, SC 29634