Clemson University
South Carolina's land-grant R1 university on Lake Hartwell, strong in engineering and business, with ACC game days.
- Acceptance rate
- 42%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 29,545
- 24,060 undergraduates
- International
- 1%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 16:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $43,852
- From · 2026-27
About Clemson
Clemson University was founded in 1889 on the former Fort Hill plantation, which Thomas Green Clemson left to South Carolina for a college of scientific agriculture and the mechanical arts. It opened in 1893 as Clemson Agricultural College, became Clemson University in 1964 and is now a public land-grant R1 university. In fall 2025 it enrolled 29,545 students, 24,060 of them undergraduates, on a 1,400-acre campus in Upstate South Carolina between Lake Hartwell and the university's Experimental Forest.
Undergraduates choose from more than 80 majors in nine colleges, among them Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business; Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; Architecture, Art and Construction; and Science, plus the new Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine. Clemson says about 4,500 undergraduates a year join Creative Inquiry team research projects. Its CU-ICAR campus in Greenville houses what Clemson calls the nation's first undergraduate and graduate department of automotive engineering.
Admission is competitive: Clemson admitted 27,498 of 64,805 first-year applicants for fall 2025 (42%), and South Carolina residents get priority. The university is test-optional, and 86% of enrolled first-years reported a 4.0 high school GPA. It suits students who want a small-town campus, a big-time ACC athletics culture and a research-active public university.
Why students choose Clemson
Creative Inquiry puts about 4,500 undergraduates a year on faculty-led team research projects, starting as early as the first year.
CU-ICAR in Greenville hosts what Clemson calls the nation's first undergraduate and graduate department of automotive engineering, with more than 20 industry partners on its 250-acre campus.
The Honors College runs the National Scholars Program, Clemson's top scholarship, covering tuition, fees, housing, food and other expenses.
Campus life centers on Lake Hartwell, Bowman Field and Memorial Stadium, with ACC athletics and more than 500 registered student organizations.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
About 1 in 2 applicants is admitted
27,498 admitted from 64,805 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
5,084 first-years enrolled in fall 2025. By residency: 5,661 of 10,697 South Carolina applicants were admitted, 21,277 of 52,651 out-of-state applicants and 560 of 1,457 international applicants. Clemson says 53% of in-state applicants were admitted for fall, and 91% of South Carolina applicants since the 2021 cycle have been offered a path through fall or summer admission or the Bridge to Clemson program. 13,297 applicants were offered a waitlist place, and 1,801 were later admitted.
Typical entry requirements
| U.S. high school curriculum | 4 credits English, 3 math, 3 laboratory science, 2 of one foreign language, 3 social sciences, 1 fine arts, 1 physical education/ROTC and 2 other credits; honors, AP, IB or dual-enrollment courses where offered |
|---|---|
| International secondary education | Self-reported high school record through STARS, with official transcripts required after admission. International first-year applicants apply through the same platforms and may submit SAT/ACT scores but don't have to. |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 80 TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.5 (at least 6.0 in each band) or Duolingo 105. The requirement can be waived where English is your primary language or one of your country's official languages. International undergraduates must document enough funds for their whole course of study. Clemson offers no scholarships for international undergraduates. |
Deadlines
- Early Action Non-binding Next deadline · In 9 daysOctober 15, 2026
Submit your application by this date and any outstanding checklist items, including your test-score preference, by November 1. Decisions come in mid-December. The plan is not restrictive.
- Honors College Priority Non-binding In 16 daysOctober 22, 2026
Separate Honors application; materials due November 1 and decisions in mid-January. Meeting all priority deadlines is required for National Scholars and Breakthrough Scholars consideration.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 1, 2027
Also the scholarship deadline and the FAFSA priority date for need-based aid. Required materials are due January 10, and decisions come in mid-February.
- Final application date (and international deadline) Non-binding In ~7 monthsMay 1, 2027
Last date to apply for fall entry. For international applicants, all credentials must be in by this date. Admitted students must reply by May 1.
Clemson's first-year and Honors pages list recurring dates (the application opens August 1). The years shown apply them to the cycle for fall 2027 entry. The Common Data Set 2025-26 confirms early action closes October 15 with notification by December 15. Some students are offered summer admission (Summer Start, Global Start, PEER & WISE), January admission or the Bridge to Clemson program instead of fall admission.
How to apply
Apply through the Clemson Application, the Coalition Application on Scoir or the Common App (none is preferred). You pay a $70 application fee (waivable for financial need) and self-report your courses and grades in STARS. SAT/ACT scores are optional. You can also upload a personal statement, letters of recommendation or a résumé, but none is required. You list a first- and second-choice major. The Honors College has its own application, with two essays, in the admissions portal.
What admissions looks for
- High school performance comes first: GPA, class rank and the rigor of your courses, judged against what your school offers.
- College-preparatory, honors, AP, IB or dual-enrollment coursework where it is available.
- State residency: as a public institution, Clemson gives South Carolina residents priority, and the CDS rates residency very important.
- Activities outside the classroom (leadership, sports, arts, volunteering, jobs and family obligations), plus your background and any circumstances that affected your grades.
- Test scores if you submit them (rated important), with essays, recommendations, talent, character, first-generation status and alumni ties also considered.
Tips for applying to Clemson
- 1 Choose two different majors: some programs are limited, and if you are not admitted to your first choice you can be admitted to your second.
- 2 Decide on the test-optional question carefully: you can switch whether your SAT/ACT scores are used until November 1 (early action) or January 10 (regular decision).
- 3 Complete STARS, the self-reported transcript, accurately. Clemson uses it for both the admission and the merit scholarship review.
- 4 For National Scholars or Breakthrough Scholars consideration, submit the separate Honors application by October 22 and complete it by November 1.
- 5 Apply by January 1, finish your file by January 10 and file the FAFSA by January 1 to be considered for most scholarships, which don't need a separate application.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Clemson University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Clemson automatically considers admitted first-years for competitive recruiting scholarships ($500 a year up to the full cost of attendance, renewable for three more years with a 3.0 GPA). These include the Resident Merit Scholarship for South Carolinians and the Out-of-State Tuition Scholarship for domestic non-residents. Need-based grants require the FAFSA by January 1. The National Scholars Program is its top award, and Lyceum Scholars receive $60,000 over four years. International undergraduates are not eligible for Clemson scholarships.
- $38,198 South Carolina resident; $66,180 non-resident (excluding major enrichment fees)
- Estimated cost of attendance 2026-27 (on or off campus)
- 49%
- Average share of need met, first-year need-based aid recipients (CDS 2025-26)
- $13,966
- Average need-based scholarship or grant, first-years (CDS 2025-26)
- 97%
- First-time in-state students receiving state scholarships
- 57%
- Graduates with no debt
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Automotive Engineering (CU-ICAR)
Founded in 2007, CU-ICAR in Greenville is home to what Clemson describes as the nation's first undergraduate and graduate department of automotive engineering, where students build autonomous vehicles for industry and government partners.
Creative Inquiry
About 4,500 undergraduates a year join faculty-mentored team research projects, from global sustainability to space exploration.
Honors College and National Scholars Program
A separate application gives access to honors courses and to Clemson's top scholarship, which covers tuition, fees, housing, food and extras such as study abroad.
Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business
AACSB-accredited; per Clemson, the first college in its history to be named after donors (2020).
Lyceum Scholars Program
An application-based great-books program on the moral, political and economic foundations of a free society, open to any major, with a $60,000 four-year scholarship.
Research
- Classified R1 (very high research activity), with $240 million in external research funding in FY2025.
- The 250-acre CU-ICAR campus in Greenville brings together automotive, computer science and advanced manufacturing research with more than 20 resident industry partners.
- The Charleston Innovation Campus houses the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, where the Civil War submarine H. L. Hunley is being conserved, and a large wind turbine test facility.
- The Center for Human-AI Interaction studies how AI tools can work with human decision-making.
Schools & faculties
- College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
- College of Architecture, Art and Construction
- College of Arts and Humanities
- College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
- Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business
- College of Education
- College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
- College of Science
- Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine
- Clemson University Honors College
- Graduate School
College Scorecard: median earnings of $71,513 ten years after entry and $58,311 six years after entry for federally aided students. Clemson reports that 57% of its graduates have no debt.
Student life
Clemson is a small-town campus where most life happens on foot: Bowman Field stretches from Tillman Hall toward downtown, and students walk to the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex on Lake Hartwell to sail, kayak and paddleboard. Nearly all first-years (98% in fall 2025) live in university housing. Greek life is large, with 19% of undergraduate men and 40% of undergraduate women in fraternities and sororities. Football weekends at Memorial Stadium, Homecoming's Tigerama pep rally and the First Friday Parade are the big traditions, and the Tiger Paw is painted all over campus and nearby roads.
- More than 500 registered student organizations, from WSBF-FM radio to The Tiger, the student newspaper founded in 1907.
- Tigerama, a student-run Homecoming pep rally held since 1957, and the First Friday Parade before the first home football game.
- NCAA Division I athletics in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), with football at Memorial Stadium.
- Army and Air Force ROTC on campus, reflecting Clemson's history as a military college until 1955.
Housing. In fall 2025, 97.7% of first-years lived in university housing, including residence halls, apartments, theme and living-learning communities, and fraternity/sorority halls.
Location
Clemson is a small college town in Upstate South Carolina, roughly midway between Atlanta and Charlotte, with the Blue Ridge foothills on the horizon. Downtown Clemson's shops, cafes and murals are a walk from campus, and the 295-acre South Carolina Botanical Garden, with 4 miles of trails, is open daily and free. Greenville, about 45 minutes away by car, is the nearest city, with a walkable downtown and CU-ICAR.
Nearest airport: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), about an hour's drive; Charlotte (CLT) and Atlanta (ATL) are about 2.5 hours away
Notable alumni
- HG Harvey GanttArchitect and former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina; Clemson's first African-American student (1963), graduated with honors in architecture
- NH Nikki Haley116th governor of South Carolina (2011-2017) and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2017-2018); BS in accounting, 1994
- ST Strom ThurmondGovernor of South Carolina and U.S. senator from 1954 to 2003; BS, 1923
- JW John W. RaymondRetired general who was the first chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force (2019-2022); BS in administrative management, 1984
- CB Charlie Blackwell-ThompsonLaunch director for NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program (Artemis); BS in computer engineering, 1988
- JH Jennifer HomendyChair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board; online Master of Transportation Safety Administration from Clemson
- TL Trevor LawrenceJacksonville Jaguars quarterback and No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft; won the 2019 national championship game with Clemson as a freshman
Frequently asked questions
What is Clemson's acceptance rate?
Clemson admitted 27,498 of 64,805 first-year applicants for fall 2025, about 42%. For South Carolina residents, 53% were admitted for fall.
Is Clemson test-optional?
Yes, for fall 2027 applicants. Scores are considered if you submit them, and you can change that choice until the materials deadline. Enrolled fall 2025 first-years who submitted scores had middle-50% ranges of 1250-1400 on the SAT and 28-32 on the ACT.
When is Clemson's early action deadline?
Submit your application by October 15, 2026, with required materials by November 1; decisions come in mid-December. Early action is non-binding. Regular decision closes January 1, 2027, with materials due January 10.
How much does Clemson cost for out-of-state students?
For 2026-27, non-resident tuition and fees are $43,852 (before any major enrichment fee of up to $2,500), and the estimated cost of attendance is $66,180. South Carolina residents pay $15,870 in tuition and fees, with a total estimated cost of $38,198.
Does Clemson give scholarships to international students?
No. Clemson says there are no scholarships for international undergraduates, and international students must show funds for their entire course of study. Citizens of certain sister states, such as Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia and Brandenburg in Germany and Queensland in Australia, can qualify for in-state tuition.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- Clemson Undergraduate Admissions
- Clemson Admissions: Apply as a First-Year Student (deadlines and process)
- Clemson Admissions: Apply as an International Student
- Clemson Admissions: Undergraduate Admission Statistics (2025 first-year profile)
- Clemson Admissions: College Preparation (recommended high school curriculum)
- Clemson Honors College: First-Year Honors Admissions
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