By Sue Luse
Location
Clemson University is located in Clemson, South Carolina, a college town that is small and rural. It lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the banks of Lake Hartwell. The nearest airport is in Greenville, South Carolina.X
Academics
Clemson has the perks of a big school but with small classes. There are 17,000 undergraduates. They lead the way in providing a hands-on education with lots of undergraduate research. Majors include:
- Nursing
- Early Childhood
- Architecture
- Communications
- Marketing
- Engineering (a big program at Clemson)
Student Population
Clemson is filled with traditional school spirit and everyone is friendly! Located in the Bible Belt so students tend to be conservative. There are preppy students as well. This is not a suitcase college. The dorms are standard – nothing special. Approx. 25% Greek and approx. 38% of students are from out-of-state.
Student Life
Activities
- Swimming is popular and they are in the process of building an outdoor pool. Due to campus being on shore to Lake Hartwell, rowing teams and fishing are popular. Clemson is an hour from the mountains so there are ample opportunities for hiking.
- Clemson Outdoor Recreation & Education (CORE) offers a variety of outdoor adventure activities including backpacking, hiking, river running, canoeing, sea kayaking, and rock climbing.
- Clemson belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Their big-time school spirit helped vote them as #1 in college football atmosphere. Clemson’s Memorial Stadium has 81,000 seats. Tailgating is huge.
- The Brooks Center for the Performing Arts is a state-of-the-art facility that attracts many nationally and internationally acclaimed dance companies, theater troupes, and music ensembles of all types.
Housing
Clemson is not a suitcase college. The dorms are standard but there are lots of options. Offer a variety of living options including Learning-Living Communities. Approx. 25% Greek.
Admissions
- Average ACT of 27-31
- Class Rank top 10%
- Admittance rate is 50%
- 92% retention rate
- Out-of-state admittance is a bit more difficult
- Not a Common App school
- No essays or letters of recommendations
- They do consider a student’s choice of major
What Kind of Student Would be Happy Here:
Someone that loves school spirit, enjoys rigorous coursework, feels comfortable in a rural college town and appreciates the outdoors.