College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

Clemson University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

700 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
38% Acceptance Rate

Clemson University is a public institution in Clemson, South Carolina enrolling 23,300 undergraduates. It accepts 38% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 87%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #106 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 2%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Clemson University Ranked?

Clemson University ranks #106 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 2%.

#106 Best Colleges in Nation
#1 Best Colleges in SC
Clemson University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

Clemson University was awarded 700 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked Clemson as #106 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation.

Clemson also holds the #1 spot on the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.

See all of the rankings for Clemson University.

Is It Hard to Get Into Clemson University?

38% Acceptance Rate
40% Of Accepted Are Women
35% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

Clemson University has an acceptance rate of 38%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for Clemson.

Average Test Scores

About 35% of students accepted to Clemson submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 620 and 700. Math scores were between 620 and 710.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Clemson University  ( 620 to 700 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Clemson University  ( 620 to 710 )
200
800

Clemson received ACT scores from 20% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 28 and 32.

ACT Composite Scores for Clemson University  ( 28 to 32 )
1
36

Learn more about Clemson University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Clemson University?

16 to 1 Student to Faculty
88% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

With a student to faculty ratio of 16 to 1, Clemson University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.

The full-time faculty percentage at Clemson University is 88%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  88 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Clemson University?

93% Freshmen Retention
87% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 93% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Clemson University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  93 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Clemson the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 87%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  87 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Clemson University.

How Diverse Is Clemson University?

23,300 Undergraduate Students
21.2% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
53.2% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 23,300 undergraduates at Clemson.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Clemson University.

How Much Does Clemson University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
31% Take Out Loans
$25,748 Total Student Loans

The average net price of Clemson is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for Clemson

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$13,607 $14,109 $18,851 $24,833 $27,922

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Clemson, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At Clemson, approximately 31% of students took out student loans averaging $6,437 a year. That adds up to $25,748 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 2.9%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Clemson University.

How Much Do Clemson University Graduates Earn?

$71,513 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $71,513 in their early years. That’s great news for Clemson University students since it is 45% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for Clemson University Graduates

See which majors at Clemson University make the most money.

Where Is Clemson University Located?

South Carolina State
23,300 Undergraduate Students
Suburb Campus Setting

Clemson University is a public institution found in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of Clemson University.

Location of Clemson University

Contact details for Clemson University are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 201 Sikes Hall, Clemson, SC 29634
Phone: 8646564636
Website: www.clemson.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemson_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clemsonuniv
Twitter: twitter.com/clemsonuniv

What Majors Does Clemson University Offer?

27 Majors With Completions
17,370 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 27 majors graduated from Clemson University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 8,685 NA
Business Administration & Management 782 $52,847
Marketing 565 $48,888
General Biology 407 $26,747
Computer Information Systems 396 $63,762
Finance & Financial Management 382 $52,256
Mechanical Engineering 350 $66,398
General Psychology 320 $28,522
Teacher Education Grade Specific 282 $35,069
Nursing 268 $61,981

Learn more about the majors offered at Clemson University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does Clemson Offer Online Classes?

36% Take At Least One Class Online
1% Take All Classes Online

8,355 students took at least one online class at Clemson University.

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

Learn more about online learning at Clemson University.

Interested in comparing Clemson? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options