Overview
Nationally Recognized and Student-Centered
Clemson University is a nationally ranked public research university where the student experience is second to none. This institution combines the benefits of a major land-grant, science- and engineering-oriented university with a strong commitment to quality teaching and individual student success. Yet, even with its national recognition, Clemson remains a student-centered community characterized by inclusiveness, collaboration, high academic standards, and a drive to excel.
Clemson's teaching and learning environment is more characteristic of private liberal arts colleges, but it still offers the academic, community service, and social opportunities found at major public universities. Clemson has students that are engaged, spirited, highly competitive and -- according to one guidebook -- among the nation's happiest.
South Carolina Campus Connects with Nature
With a beautiful campus surrounded by lakes, forests, and mountains, Clemson boasts its own 17,500-acre experimental forest and is home to the 295-acre S.C. Botanical Garden. It sits on the shores of Hartwell Lake, one of the Southeast's most popular recreation sites. The main campus translates into roughly one acre per student.
A Campus Life of Culture, Service, Athletics, and Learning
With a student population greater than 17,000 at Clemson University, classes are carefully managed to ensure small sizes, a 14-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, and high retention and graduation rates. Student engagement and satisfaction score well above the national average.
The university recently earned national recognition for its living learning communities, Creative Inquiry undergraduate research program, and student participation in service-learning and civic engagement. Nearly 300 student organizations, honor societies, service fraternities, and clubs make campus life an exciting experience.
The university also boasts a variety of athletic and cultural opportunities. Students can enjoy music, dance, and student and professional theater at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts; tour historic homes at Fort Hill and Hanover House; and cheer Division I athletic events in 19 sports. Clemson fans are known for their loyalty and pride, but also for their hospitality. The university has been named an All-American Sportsmanship School because of its strong commitment to a culture of friendliness.
Wide Range of Degree Programs
Students can select from 70 undergraduate and 100 graduate degree programs offered by five colleges: agriculture, forestry, and life sciences; architecture, arts, and humanities; business and behavioral science; engineering and science; and health, education, and human development.
Educational and Financial Accolades
Ranked 22nd among national public universities according to "U.S. News and World Report," Clemson is the number one choice of South Carolina's best high school graduates. About half of incoming freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
Clemson also has a ranking in the top 10 among national universities, both public and private, in payback ratio, according to "Smart Money" magazine -- a calculation based on graduates' lifetime earning potential and the cost of tuition.
Clemson's Founding
Clemson was founded in 1889 by a bequest from Thomas Green Clemson, a Philadelphia-born, European-educated engineer, musician, and artist who married John C. Calhoun's daughter Anna and settled at her family's estate in South Carolina. Clemson believed that the way to rebuild his adopted state's war-ravaged economy was through scientific education, so he left his home and fortune to the state of South Carolina to create the institution that bears his name.
Clemson University is a unique experience. Students attend knowing they will receive the best, from the best, among the best.
