R1 ResearchPublicLand-grant

Clemson University

Clemson, South Carolina·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·clemson.edu
6-yr Graduation
87%
+4.0pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
29,077
peer median 30,758
Avg net price
$22,112
+$1.3k vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
61,517
61,517 candidates competed
Admitted
23,586
38.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
4,880
20.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
87%+4.0pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
68%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
87%
Full-time retention
93%

Pell equity

6.0pp gap
Pell recipients
80%
Non-Pell
86%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 213 Title IV programs, 75 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 138 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
213
Passing
75
35.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

213programs
  • Passing75 · 35.2%
  • No Data138 · 64.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
3
Safe
71
No data
138

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

75
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+7.7%
$35,526 vs $32,989
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+12.8%
$47,818 vs $42,400
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+22.1%
$40,266 vs $32,989
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+24.3%
$60,461 vs $48,653
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+32.3%
$64,371 vs $48,653
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+34.6%
$57,075 vs $42,400
City/Urban Community and Regional Planning
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
+35.7%
$69,971 vs $51,545
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Doctoral Degree · Education
+35.9%
$57,641 vs $42,400

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

65
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
70%
$24,955 debt · $35,526 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Doctoral Degree · Education
64%
$36,966 debt · $57,641 earn
Visual and Performing Arts Other
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
59%
$27,000 debt · $45,735 earn
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
55%
$35,241 debt · $64,371 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
53%
$21,500 debt · $40,266 earn
Real Estate
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
51%
$60,895 debt · $119,115 earn
Human Resources Management and Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
51%
$40,522 debt · $79,651 earn
Animal Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
48%
$22,728 debt · $47,853 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1927Next review Dec 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 11

Action history · 15

  1. Nov 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jul 2025Deferral of Action
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
  4. Apr 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Jan 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$14,212
$30–48k$14,857
$48–75k$19,988
$75–110k$24,020
$110k+$27,348

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$22,112
+$1,330vs R1 Research median $20,782
Federal loans
33.0%
In-state tuition
$15,554
Out-of-state
$39,498

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 4,346 students received $23.5M in Pell grants, alongside $118.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
4,346
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$23.5M
$23,472,304 total
Direct Loans
$118.5M
13,219 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
20
3k
21
3k
22
4k
23
4k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$17.3M
4,056 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$24.6M
5,933 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$17.0M
1,080 loan awards
Parent PLUS$57.2M
1,968 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.4M
182 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 3,651 borrowers who entered repayment, 24 (0.6%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.6%
-1.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,651
Defaulted
24
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.9%
2017
3.1%
2018
1.7%
2019
0.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Clemson

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs170
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

6,715 total completions
01Business
1,83227.3%
02Engineering
1,38320.6%
03Biological Sciences
6419.5%
04Education
6269.3%
05Social Sciences
4997.4%
06Health Professions
4146.2%
07Computer Sciences
3985.9%
08Agriculture
3925.8%
09Psychology
3445.1%
10Parks/Recreation
1862.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
29,077
12-mo unduplicated
31,612
Undergraduate
24,568
Graduate
7,044

Gender split

Men
48%15,096
Women
52%16,516

Race / ethnicity composition

White
76.1%
Hispanic
8.7%
Black
5.4%
Two or more
4.0%
Asian
2.8%
Unknown
1.9%
Non-resident
0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
587
304 M · 283 W
Women athletes
48.2%
Athletic aid
$14.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$171.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$7.2M
$6.9M
Recruiting expense
$3.7M
$1.0M
Head-coach salaries
$1.7M
$248K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
113 M · 124 W
$6.8M
Football
136 M ·
$67.8M
Rowing
· 72 W
$3.1M
Soccer
33 M · 25 W
$6.8M
Baseball
45 M ·
$6.5M
Lacrosse
· 34 W
$2.7M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.58
45 offenses · 28,466 students

3-year trend

1.332 yrs ago1.321 yr ago1.58Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
116
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
4
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
19
Burglary
14
Rape
4
Arson
3
Aggravated assault
3
Fondling
2

By location

45total
  • On campus40
  • Non-campus5

Includes 7 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Religion1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons110
Drugs5841
Liquor162411

Residence-hall fires

  • Lightsey Bridge I Apartments2 fires
    Attempted BurningDamage $0-$99
  • Lightsey Bridge I Apartments2 fires
    Attempted BurningDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 9 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,546

Clemson vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Clemson selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectClemson University
87%29,077$22,112R1 Research
University of South Carolina-Columbia
79%60.2%38,532$24,532R1 Research
Virginia Commonwealth University
63%92.6%28,464$19,452R1 Research
University of Virginia-Main Campus
96%16.8%26,409$22,881R1 Research
University of Arkansas
71%74.3%33,610$17,525R1 Research
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
91%15.3%32,438$12,983R1 Research
Peer group median83%60.2%30,758$20,782

Frequently asked questions about Clemson University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Clemson.

What is the graduation rate at Clemson University?

Clemson University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 87% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Clemson University?

Clemson University reports a total enrollment of 29,077 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Clemson University?

The average net price at Clemson University is $22,112 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Clemson University?

Clemson University's yield rate is 20.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Clemson University located?

Clemson University is located in Clemson, South Carolina 29634.

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