Fall at Clemson University brings a special energy as thousands arrive at main campus for the start of a new academic year. While construction and building projects may have affected available parking, Clemson features a wide range of parking and transportation options for employees and students this fall.
Parking Updates
All faculty, staff, students, vendors, contractors and visitors must have a permit to park on campus at any time. Employees with a valid employee permit are allowed to park in green employee spaces or orange commuter spaces. To learn more and purchase a permit, visit the Parking and Transportation Services website.
Image Description
A map of Clemson University’s main campus showing parking in fall 2023. Lot E-4’s 276 employee spaces will be unavailable. E-38 (Nu St), the former C-13 lot, will have 176 available spaces, E-3 (Lee Hall) will have 42 available spaces, E-3 Extension will have 113 available spaces and Williamson Road will have 11 spaces for a total of 342 employee spaces. Five accessible spaces have been moved to E-3 Ext, 10 carpool spaces have been moved to nine in E-3 Ext, with three to E-37 (Powers). Two electric vehicle spaces have been moved to E-27 (Douthit).
Advanced Materials Innovation Complex (AMIC)
Summer construction has slightly altered parking plans regarding Phase III of the Advanced Materials Innovation Complex near Sirrine Hall. While the old E-4 Lot (adjacent to Sirrine) is no longer available, the opening of several new employee lots has not only replaced the loss of the lot, but created a net addition of 66 employee spaces in the area.
- Lot E-38 (located on Nu Street adjacent to Williamson Road and Centennial Boulevard, formerly named C-13) contains 176 spaces available for employee parking. Purple Route buses will arrive every eight minutes during peak operating hours at Lot E-38 for pick-up and drop-off.
- Lot E-3, located behind Lee Hall, contains 42 spaces available for employee parking and the Lot E-3 extension (formerly Lot C-5) contains 113 available spaces. Due to construction, these lots will not be available until the first day of classes on August 23. Employees can park in the nearby commuter lots (C-2 and C-12) until the E-3 lots are fully open.
Purple Bus Route
The Purple Route will begin running Monday, August 14, and operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Image Description
A map of Clemson University’s main campus showing purple bus icons and a dotted line moving through campus. The Purple Route bus makes its first stop near Lots C-12 and E-3 Ext, where the route moves south and turns west to loop back to E-38. The route moves through E-38 and makes another stop at the corner of E-38 and Williamson Road. The route proceeds north on Williamson and makes another stop at South Palmetto Boulevard. The route proceeds north on Williamson and turns right on Fort Hill Street, where it makes another stop at Brackett Hall. The route turns south on Calhoun Drive and stops at the corner of Calhoun Drive and Fernow Street. The route proceeds south on Fernow Street and turns back on to South Palmetto Boulevard, stopping at the corner next to Lee and Lowry Hall. The route then continues down South Palmetto Boulevard, turning left at Williamson and begins the loop again near C-12 and E-3 Ext.
The Purple Route will provide bus transportation for any Clemson employee and student. Lot E-38 (Nu Street) will feature bus stops at either side of the lot. The Purple Route will travel from the Lot E-3 Extension through Core Campus and stop at seven locations. Stops include near Woodland Cemetery, Brackett Hall, Lee and Lowry Hall, and others.
Visit the Clemson Parking and Transportation website for more information about bus routes.
New Forestry and Environmental Conservation Building (Lot E-21)
Originally, Lot E-21 near the Life Science Facility and the Godley-Snell Research Center was scheduled to be permanently closed this August. However, the lot will remain open for the Fall semester and is planned to close in February 2024.
Transportation Options
Just like how you would “ace” a test in the classroom, Parking and Transportation Services wants students and employees to “ACE” their travel. In this case, ACE stands for “Affordable, Convenient and Efficient.” Tigers have several sustainable, affordable and timely options to get to and around main campus.
- Park-N-Ride, which resumes operation on August 21, is available for students and employees. Employees with a valid employee permit can also park in the East and West Park-N-Ride lots. Park-N-Ride lots feature shaded parking, electric vehicle charging spaces and shuttles that arrive every seven minutes during peak times and 15 minutes during off-peak times. The East Campus Park-N-Ride shuttle picks up from P-7 and P-8 and stops at Hendrix Center, Edwards Hall, Redfern Health Center, Academic Success Center, and Cherry Road at Bryan Circle. The West Campus Park-N-Ride shuttle, which departs the Snow Family Fitness and Wellness Complex Lot (P-6) every 18 minutes, stops at Sikes Hall, Brackett Hall, McAlister Hall and Fike Recreation Center.
- Carpool permits (for groups of two or more) are available for FREE. Carpool spaces are located near the Brooks Center, P&A Building, E-3 Extension and the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business (Lot E-37).
- Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) and Electric Vehicle (EV) permits are available to faculty and staff with qualifying vehicles. The LEV program is not limited to hybrid vehicles—many types of vehicles dating back to the 2004 model year are considered low emission. LEV reserved spaces are available throughout main campus and the University is working to add more EV charging stations this fall, including at Park-N-Ride lots.
- For traveling around campus, Bike Share is available for $15 annually. Bike Share features e-bikes and traditional bikes at seven stations across campus.
For Students
Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) has offered a number of important updates to help students with the navigation of available parking and bus routes. Visit Clemson News for more on changes to commuter lots, a new Gold Route and more.