Clemson University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

Solid academic profile (SAT 1230–1390 · ACT 28–32 middle 50% + typically a 3.7+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Engineering (the two biggest majors)
Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1230, or ACT below 28, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
Out-of-state tuition is 2.6× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

R1: Doctoral - Very High Research Activity

Total enrollment

23,300

20,000 and above

In-state tuition

$15,554

sticker, before aid

Out-of-state tuition

$40,866

+$25,312 vs in-state

Admit rate

38.1%

Selective

SAT middle 50%

1230–1390

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

28–32

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$71,513

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$58,311

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$71,513

4-year completion

87%

Median debt (completers)

$21,500

Cost of attendance

$35,015

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

15%

💰 True ROI

8.0× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$89,012

$22,253/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$51,048

vs sticker $140,060

10-yr earnings total

$715,130

$71,513/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.2 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Clemson University, the average net price is $22,253/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$13,607/yr

Family income $30-48k

$14,109/yr

Family income $48-75k

$18,851/yr

Family income $75-110k

$24,833/yr

Family income $110k+

$27,922/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Clemson University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Clemson University →

Opens on Clemson University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Clemson University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Clemson University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing

1,224 degrees · 36.4%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

2. Engineering

938 degrees · 27.9%

Typical career outcomes

Mechanical Engineer $100k Electrical Engineer $107k Civil Engineer $93k Chemical Engineer $112k

Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.

3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

467 degrees · 13.9%

Typical career outcomes

Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k

Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

4. Social Sciences

376 degrees · 11.2%

Typical career outcomes

Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k

Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

5. Psychology

356 degrees · 10.6%

Typical career outcomes

HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k

Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Clemson University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Information Science/Studies.	Bachelor's Degree	28	$76,549	$105,646
Computer Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	48	$77,672	$102,762
Computer and Information Sciences, General.	Bachelor's Degree	177	$73,374	$101,301
Construction Management.	Bachelor's Degree	—	$73,987	$98,726
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	72	$77,925	$96,446
Engineering-Related Fields.	Bachelor's Degree	55	$68,904	$94,449
Biomedical/Medical Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	115	$65,110	$93,705
Industrial Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	201	$74,709	$92,491
Chemical Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	61	$75,951	$92,098
Finance and Financial Management Services.	Bachelor's Degree	241	$58,876	$91,269

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Clemson University

CS degrees (annual)

272

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Clemson University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Clemson University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Clemson University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

University of Alabama in Huntsville

AL · Public

39 auto-merit scholarships on file

Texas Tech University

TX · Public

31 auto-merit scholarships on file

The University of Alabama

AL · Public

23 auto-merit scholarships on file

Mississippi State University

MS · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file