Clemson University facts for kids
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Former names
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Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (1889–1964) |
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| Type | Public land-grant research university |
| Established | 1889 |
| Accreditation | SACS |
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Academic affiliations
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| Endowment | $994 million (2022) |
| President | James P. Clements |
| Provost | Robert H. Jones |
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Academic staff
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2,103 |
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Administrative staff
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4,179 |
| Students | 28,747 (Fall 2023) |
| Undergraduates | 22,875 (2023) |
| Postgraduates | 5,872 (2023) |
| Location |
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United States
34°40′42″N 82°50′21″W / 34.67833°N 82.83917°W |
| Campus | Large suburb, 1,400 acres (570 ha) |
| Other campuses |
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| Newspaper | The Tiger |
| Colors | Orange and regalia |
| Nickname | Tigers |
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Sporting affiliations
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NCAA Division I FBS – ACC |
| Mascot |
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Clemson University is a large public university in Clemson, South Carolina. It was started in 1889. Clemson is the second-biggest university in South Carolina based on how many students are enrolled. In Fall 2023, about 22,875 undergraduate students and 5,872 graduate students attended. There are 15 students for every teacher.
Clemson's campus is about 1,400-acre (570 ha) big. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The campus is next to Lake Hartwell, which was created by a dam built in 1962.
Clemson University has seven main colleges. These include colleges for Agriculture, Arts, Business, Health Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Science. Clemson is known as a university with "Very high research activity." This means they do a lot of important research.
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History
How it Started
Thomas Green Clemson was the person who founded the university. He came to South Carolina in 1838. He married Anna Maria Calhoun, who was the daughter of John C. Calhoun. John C. Calhoun was a famous politician and the seventh U.S. Vice President.
When Thomas Clemson passed away in 1888, he left most of his money and land to start a college. He wanted this college to teach scientific agriculture and mechanical arts to people in South Carolina. His idea was strongly supported by Benjamin Tillman, who later became the governor of South Carolina. Tillman worked hard to get the state to create the school as an agricultural college. The decision to create the school passed by only one vote!
Clemson wanted the new school to be like Mississippi State University. He wrote in his will that it should be managed by a board of trustees.
Clemson Agricultural College
In November 1889, the governor of South Carolina signed a bill. This officially created the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina. Because of this, money for agricultural education from the government was moved to Clemson.
Building the college began in 1890 with Hardin Hall. Then, main classroom buildings were started in 1891. Some of the first buildings were built by convict laborers, some as young as 13. Henry Aubrey Strode was the first president from 1890 to 1893.
Clemson Agricultural College officially opened in July 1893. It had 446 students at first. Students studied English, history, botany, math, physics, and agriculture. Until 1955, it was a military school only for white men.
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On May 22, 1894, the main building, (Tillman Hall), was destroyed by a fire. The fire burned the library, classrooms, and offices. Tillman Hall was rebuilt in 1894 and is still used today.
The first students graduated from Clemson in 1896. They earned degrees in engineering and agriculture. Clemson's first football team started in 1896. Henry Hartzog became president in 1897. He started a textile department in 1898. Clemson was the first school in the South to train textile experts.
During World War I, fewer students attended Clemson. In 1917, Clemson started a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. This trained students to become military officers. Because of the war, Clemson hired its first women teachers.
On April 1, 1925, a fire damaged the inside of the agriculture building. Many research projects were lost. In 1928, Riggs Hall was built. It was named after Walter Riggs, a former football coach and president.
President Enoch Sikes helped more than 1,000 students enroll. He also added the first graduate degree programs. In 1927, Clemson was officially recognized by a group that checks school quality.
During The Great Depression, fewer students enrolled, and the school had less money. New buildings were constructed on campus with government help. Memorial Stadium opened in 1942. It became the new home for the Clemson Tigers football team.
During World War II, over 6,500 Clemson students went to serve in the military. About 5,850 became officers. By the end of the war, 376 Clemson students had died.
Becoming a Regular University
In 1955, Clemson changed a lot. It became a "civilian" school, meaning students no longer had to be in the military. It also started admitting white women.
In 1963, the school welcomed its first African-American student, Harvey Gantt. He later became the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Clemson University Name Change
In 1964, the college was renamed Clemson University. The state recognized that the school offered many more subjects and did a lot of research. The university also manages the nearby 17,500-acre (7,100 ha) Clemson Experimental Forest. This forest is used for research, education, and fun.
In 2015, students protested about Tillman Hall being named after Ben Tillman. Tillman was a governor and senator who supported white supremacy. In 2020, the university leaders asked the state to change the building's name back to "Old Main." They also renamed the honors program. As of 2021, the building's name has not changed.
Campus
The campus of Clemson University was once a plantation called Fort Hill. It belonged to U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun. His daughter, Anna, and her husband, Thomas Green Clemson, later owned it. When Clemson died in 1888, he gave the land to South Carolina. He wanted a public university to be built there.
The university was founded in 1889. Three of the first buildings are still there today: Hardin Hall (1890), Main Building (now Tillman Hall) (1894), and Godfrey Hall (1898). Many new buildings were added between 1936 and 1938. Even more were built from the late 1950s to 1970. Most of these buildings have a similar look.
Academics
Getting In
| Admissions statistics | |
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2021 entering
classChange vs. 2016 |
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| Admit rate | 49.2
(
 −1.3) |
| Yield rate | 19.8
(
 −11.2) |
| Test scores middle 50% | |
| SAT Total | 1240-1400 |
| ACT Composite | 27-32 |
U.S. News & World Report says that getting into Clemson is "more selective." For the class that started in Fall 2021, Clemson received over 47,000 applications. They accepted about 23,000 students, which is about 49%. Of those accepted, about 4,500 chose to attend.
Most freshmen (94%) stay at Clemson after their first year. About 85.5% of students graduate within six years.
Students who started in 2021 had good test scores. The middle 50% of SAT scores were between 1240 and 1400. The middle 50% of ACT scores were between 27 and 32.
Colleges and Schools
Clemson University has nine academic colleges. These colleges offer many different subjects for students to study.
- 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
- College of Education
- College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences
- College of Science
- Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business
- College of Veterinary Medicine
College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences
This college helps Clemson University with its mission to teach, research, and serve the public. Teachers here help students become leaders and creative thinkers. Students can do research, internships, study abroad, and community service. The research focuses on keeping agriculture, forests, and natural resources healthy. They also study food and health.
College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities
This college has three schools: the School of the Arts, the School of Design and Building, and the School of the Humanities. These schools have ten departments, including Art, Architecture, English, History, and Performing Arts. The School of Architecture is highly ranked for its graduate program. The Brooks Center is where many performing arts events happen.
Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business
The College of Business is a top-ranked business school. It is recognized by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
In 2020, the college received a large gift and was renamed the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. This was the first time a college at Clemson University was named after people.
The college is listed among the best business schools by The Princeton Review. It is also ranked for its online MBA programs. It is known for its MBA programs in Human Resources and Entrepreneurship.
College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
This college focuses on engineering and sciences like physics and chemistry. From the very beginning, engineering and science have been a key part of Clemson. Clemson engineers and scientists have made important contributions to the state and the world.
This college was formed in 1995. It brought together engineering subjects with chemistry, computer science, and physics.
Clemson University Honors College
The Honors College is for students who are very motivated and smart. It is hard to get into this college. Only about 250 new freshmen are accepted each year. These students usually have high SAT scores and were in the top 3% of their high school class.
College of Education
The College of Education is Clemson's newest college. It is located in Tillman Hall. The college has about 600 undergraduate students and 600 graduate students. Its goal is to provide diverse experiences for its students and staff.
Graduate School
The Graduate School offers over 100 different graduate degree programs. These programs are available on the main campus and at other locations. These include centers in Greenville, Charleston, and North Charleston. Some programs can also be taken online. Many of these graduate programs are highly ranked.
Rankings
Getting into Clemson is considered "more selective."
For the class that started in Fall 2018, Clemson received over 28,000 applications. They accepted about 13,600 students. The average high school GPA for these students was 4.43.
In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked Clemson as the 86th best national university in the U.S. It was also ranked the 43rd top public school.
The Princeton Review ranked Clemson University number one in three areas in 2016: Student Career Services, Town-Gown Relations, and Students who pack the stadium.
Research
The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) was started in 2013 in Greenville. It is a place for automotive research and new ideas. CU-ICAR is a 250-acre (101 ha) campus focused on cars and motorsports. Its Automotive Engineering department was ranked tenth in the world in 2015.
CU-ICAR has a graduate school that offers master's and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering. Big companies like BMW, Microsoft, IBM, and Michelin are partners with CU-ICAR.
The Charleston Innovation Campus in North Charleston started in 2004. It has the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. This center is working to preserve the H. L. Hunley. This was a Civil War submarine and the first in the world to sink a ship.
In 2016, Clemson announced a new partnership with Siemens. This was the largest grant in the school's history. It gives students in the College of Engineering access to new software.
Student Life
Intramurals
Clemson offers many intramural sports for students to play for fun. These include:
- Basketball
- Billiards
- Bowling
- Cornhole
- Dodgeball
- Flag football
- Indoor soccer
- Kickball
- Racquetball
- Soccer
- Softball
- Spikeball
- Tennis
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Volleyball
- Wiffleball
Fraternity and Sorority Life
Clemson has fraternities and sororities. Unlike some other universities, there are no Greek houses directly on campus. However, there are special residence halls for these groups. Some fraternities have houses off campus.
In 2017, about 15% of men and 31% of women were part of Greek life. The average GPA for sororities was higher than the overall university average.
Military Heritage
Clemson has programs for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). These programs train students to become officers in the military. They also serve students from other nearby colleges.
Student Media
Clemson University has five student-run media groups. These groups are guided by a faculty advisor.
- The Tiger is the oldest student newspaper in South Carolina. It started in 1907. It is printed every two weeks.
- Tigervision is Clemson's student-run TV station. It broadcasts on campus cable. It produces student comedy shows and other programs.
- The Pendulum is a student magazine about international affairs. It started in 2014 and is published twice a year.
- The Chronicle is a literary art magazine. It publishes twice a year and was founded in 1897.
- WSBF-FM is a student radio station. It started broadcasting in 1960. It plays many types of music, focusing on independent artists. It broadcasts on 88.1 FM in the Clemson area and online.
TAPS Yearbook was started in 1907. It was named after the song "Taps," which was played when cadets went to bed. The yearbook showed student photos, information on student groups, and events from the past year. The last edition of TAPS was in 2018.
Traditions
Tiger Paw
The Tiger Paw became Clemson University's official logo in 1970. It replaced an older tiger logo. The new logo was created from a mold of a Bengal tiger's paw. The Tiger Paw is now used on all sports teams and university documents. You can also see it painted on campus and on roads leading to the university.
Homecoming and Tigerama
Every year, Clemson students celebrate Homecoming and Tigerama. The Homecoming tradition began in 1914. During Homecoming week, student groups build floats on Bowman Field. These floats are shown and judged on the Saturday of the football game.
Since 1957, Clemson has held "Tigerama" on the Friday night of Homecoming week. Tigerama is one of the biggest student-run pep rallies in the country. About 40,000 people attend. It includes crowning Miss Homecoming, skits by student groups, and a fireworks show.
First Friday Parade
The First Friday Parade happens every year on the Friday before the first home football game. This tradition started in 1974. The parade includes fraternities, sororities, the marching band, the university president, and many other student groups. A pep rally is held in the university's amphitheater.
Alma Mater
The Clemson University alma mater (school song) started in the 1910s. In 1918, some Clemson ROTC cadets were asked to sing their school song. But Clemson didn't have one! So, a cadet named A.C. Corcoran wrote the words. He used the tune of Cornell University's alma mater. The words were officially accepted in 1919.
In 1947, a student group decided Clemson should have its own unique tune. They held a contest, and Robert E. Farmer, a student, won. His melody was changed a little in 1970 but was brought back to its original tune in 2009.
Fight Song
The university's fight song is the famous jazz standard, the "Tiger Rag".
Athletics
Clemson University sports teams are called the Tigers. They compete in NCAA Division I. They are part of the ACC for most sports.
Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, and soccer. Women's sports include basketball, golf, rowing, soccer, and volleyball.
The main sports facilities on campus are Memorial Stadium, Littlejohn Coliseum, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Historic Riggs Field, and Fike Recreation Center.
In 2020, the university decided to stop its Men's Track and Field and Cross Country teams. But after students and state officials protested, the university changed its mind in 2021. Clemson then announced new women's lacrosse and gymnastics teams.
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Memorial Stadium
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Littlejohn Coliseum
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Doug Kingsmore Stadium
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Riggs Field
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Fike Recreation Center
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Jervey Athletic Center
Public Safety
Clemson University has its own Police Department and Fire & EMS. Both departments work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to keep the campus safe. The Fire & EMS department has two stations. The Police Department is located in Seneca.
Notable Alumni
Many famous people have graduated from Clemson University, including:
- Major Rudolf Anderson Jr., a pilot.
- David Beasley, former South Carolina governor.
- Kris Benson, baseball player.
- Brian Dawkins, football player.
- Harvey Gantt, first black Mayor of Charlotte.
- Lucas Glover, golfer.
- Nikki Haley, politician.
- DeAndre Hopkins, football player.
- Trevor Lawrence, football player.
- Nancy O'Dell, TV host.
- William "Refrigerator" Perry, football player.
- Brianna Rollins, track and field athlete.
- Shawn Weatherly, Miss Universe 1980.
- Vanessa E. Wyche, director of the Johnson Space Center.
Notable Faculty
Many important teachers and researchers have worked at Clemson University, such as:
- John Ballato, Professor of materials science.
- Donald D. Clayton, Professor of Physics.
- Jo Jorgensen, politician.
- Trudy Mackay, Professor of Genetics.
See also
- List of forestry universities and colleges
