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About Clemson

We are South Carolina's University

One of the most productive public research universities in the nation, Clemson attracts and unites students and faculty whose greatest desire is to make a difference in the lives of others — starting with our neighbors in South Carolina and extending globally in the areas of health, agriculture, engineering and mobility.

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A group of students sit and talk on a grass lawn in front of lake Hartwell with Clemson's main campus in the background

Clemson By The Numbers

  • 23,401
    Undergraduate Students
  • 5,676
    Graduate Students
  • 93.5%
    First-Year Retention Rate
  • 80+
    Majors
  • 90+
    Minors
  • 130+
    Graduate Degree Programs
  • 86.6%
    Six-Year Graduation Rate
  • 16:1
    Student-To-Faculty Ratio
  • $237.3M
    Awarded in External Research Funding (FY2024)
Founded in
1889


Located in
Clemson,
South Carolina


President
James P. Clements
Student Value
  • Money magazine gives Clemson 4 out of 5 stars for value.
  • The Princeton Review ranks Clemson as a Best Value College (2024).
  • 99% of first-time in-state students receive state scholarships.
  • In Fall 2023, in-state first-year students paid an average 37% of tuition and fees.
  • A majority of Clemson’s graduates (56%) have no debt compared to the state (40%) and national (39%) averages.

Where is Clemson?

Clemson University is situated on 1,400 acres in Upstate South Carolina, with one edge of campus resting on the waters of Lake Hartwell and the other deep in the Experimental Forest. Midway between Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, Clemson offers students the convenience of a small town with easy access to the attractions found in major cities.

Clemson's campus from above shows Tillman Hall, Death Valley and Lake Hartwell on a foggy morning.

Clemson connections make the difference

Clemson students, faculty and staff are instantly plugged into a network of leaders and mentors in a variety of industries, all of whom are willing and interested in lending a hand to their fellow Tigers.

See Our Alumni at Work
James Barker Sketch of Godfrey Hall

Protecting Our Own

South Carolina faces a critical shortage of veterinarians. We responded by establishing the state's first college of veterinary medicine, focused on training a new generation of veterinary scientists and clinicians who stay in the Palmetto State and care for animals in need.

Founding Dean Steven Marks poses in his office next to his desk

“Clemson's role is to produce day one prepared veterinarians, and we really want those veterinarians to stay in South Carolina, go to underserved regions and work on underserved species.”

Steven L. Marks, BVSc, M.S., MRCVS, DACVIM
Founding Dean of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine

See Our Community in Action

Clemson University's land-grant mission and strategic vision

Achieving Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of “a high seminary of learning” to develop “the material resources of the State” for the people of South Carolina is the mission that binds together researchers, teachers and faculty members at Clemson every day. United in the pursuit of this vision, Clemson employees and strategic partners collaborate to elevate South Carolina’s people, education and industries.

Academic Preeminence in South Carolina

We are committed to our founder's vision for Clemson — a high seminary of learning. And we live that vision out as the top university in South Carolina:

Time magazine names us One of the Best Colleges for Future Leaders (2025).

  • Genetics students learn from the only researcher in South Carolina elected to more than one National Academy of Sciences or Medicine, Trudy Mackay.
  • Automotive engineering students build fully autonomous vehicles for industry and government partners.
  • Each year, approximately 4,500 undergraduates complete Creative Inquiry research projects, engineering solutions for global sustainability, outer space exploration and beyond.
  • Seventy-five percent of our co-ops receive a full-time offer from their employers each year.
  • More than 45 students have earned major fellowships in the last five years, including Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, Churchill and Fulbright scholarships. This leads the state and ranks among the most in the nation.

Explore Academics See Our Degree Programs

Global Research With Local Roots

We are a global research university, Carnegie R1, grounded in our love for the people of South Carolina and inspired by the Tigers who join us in serving them. Our work focuses on:

  • Improving harvests worldwide by developing precision agricultural methods in our uniquely biodiverse state
  • Delivering innovative health care to rural communities through thousands of mobile health clinic trips every year
  • Growing our research footprint, collaborating with industry partners at scale to engineer safer mobility and materials

Join Us as a Business Partner Become a Student Researcher Bring Your Research Expertise to Clemson

The Nation's Best Student Experience

No worthwhile experience leaves you the same. We hold this to be true at Clemson, and we commit to creating a campus that welcomes, a culture that challenges, and a community that champions every Tiger on their journey to discover more than they thought possible — not in their university, but in themselves.

  • 1,300 student study abroad each year
  • 600+ student clubs and organizations meet
  • 72% of undergraduates participate in experiential learning
  • More than 1,000 students hold paid, on-campus internships
  • 95% of graduates are employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation

    • See Campus Life Follow Student Journeys on Instagram

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