University Feature Stories

New students arrive at Clemson University

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After receiving a record number of undergraduate applications in an increasingly competitive admissions cycle, Clemson University will soon welcome a first-year class of around 5,031 students to Tigertown.

These incoming students will emerge as the next generation of engineers, health care workers, entrepreneurs, researchers, public servants, educators and creatives. Each arrives at Clemson with a unique background, life experience and perspective that will help shape our University community.

Every member of the Class of 2028 will encounter new opportunities, discoveries and challenges during their time at Clemson. This high-achieving group of students is ready to learn in and outside of the classroom as they find a path to make a significant impact in their communities and beyond. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish throughout their time here.

Where they’re from

These new students are from all 50 states and the District of Columbia and 22 countries.

They come from 276 South Carolina high schools, and this year’s class represents 45 of the 46 counties in the state.

Top 5 South Carolina counties for first-year enrollment

 1. Greenville
2. Charleston
3. York
4. Anderson
5. Spartanburg

North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida lead this year’s out-of-state first-year enrollment. Students are also traveling from as far as Honolulu, Hawaii, and Mehsana, India, to be Tigers.

Who they are

This year’s class includes 137 high school valedictorians and 93 salutatorians.

Popular student names include Ava, William, Emma, Ella and Lauren.  

759 students

Identify as first-generation college students

792 students

Report having one or both parents as Clemson graduates

What they’re doing

Top 10 intended majors

1. General Engineering
2. Pre-Business
3. Biological Sciences
4. Psychology
5. Nursing
6. Computer Science
7. Animal and Veterinary Sciences
8. Health Science
9. Political Science
10. Elementary Education

One hundred and five students are first-year student-athletes, and 397 first-year students are enrolling in the Clemson University Honors College.

An infographic describing different facts and stats about first-year students arriving at Clemson University

1,472

Transfer students

Top 5 intended majors (transfer students)

1. Pre-Business
2. General Engineering
3. Biological Sciences
4. Psychology
5. Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts lead this year’s out-of-state enrollment for transfer students.

1,154

Bridge to Clemson students

Top 5 intended majors (Bridge students)

1. Pre-Business
2. General Engineering
3. Undeclared
4. Biological Sciences
5. Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Out-of-state Bridge students are from North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey and New York, among others.

First-year graduate students

Master’s — 1,313
Ph.D. — 304
Certificate and non-degree — 83

Top first-year master’s program enrollment

1. MBA Business Administration
2. Master of Professional Accountancy
3. M.Ed. Counselor Education
4. M.S. Computer Science
5. Master of Architecture 

Top first-year Ph.D. enrollment

1. DNP Nursing Practice
2. Ph.D. Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design
3. Ph.D. Educational Leadership
4. Ph.D. Bioengineering
5. Ph.D. Teaching and Learning

North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Florida and Virginia lead this year’s out-of-state enrollment for incoming graduate students. Others have traveled from as far as Waipahu, Hawaii; Olympia, Washington; and Madurai, India, to continue their education at Clemson.


All information pertaining to undergraduate and graduate students is current as of August 1, 2023, and August 6, 2024, respectively. These are unofficial data points provided by the Clemson University Office of Admissions and the Graduate School.

The Clemson University Office of Institutional Research will release official data points to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System later in the Fall 2024 semester. That data can be found in the Clemson University Interactive Factbook.

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