Clemson University

Clemson University International Student Insurance

Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina, was founded in 1889. Founder Thomas Clemson died in 1888 and stipulated in his will that his estate be used to open a college for agriculture and mechanical arts. The school opened as Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina in 1893. Originally a male-only military school, it opened its doors to civilians and women in 1955, and the first black student was admitted in 1963. The school gained university status and its current name in 1964. Today, Clemson enrolls more than 25,000 students and counting each year. The school colors are Clemson Orange and Regalia (purple), and its athletic nickname is the tigers.

Clemson University Academic and Research Opportunities

Clemson offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees and more than 120 graduate degrees across its seven colleges: the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities; the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences; the College of Business; the College of Education; the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; and the College of Science; as well as the Graduate School, Calhoun Honors College, and the Emeritus College, which gives emeritus faculty members a way to stay connected to the university and support its educational practices.

Clemson also operates the International Center for Automotive Research, located in Greenville, South Carolina, which partners with BMW to offer master’s and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering. 

Clemson has been classified as an R1: Doctoral University with very high research activity. Its research “innovation clusters” are grouped into six categories: advanced materials; cyberinfrastructure and big data science; energy, transportation and advanced manufacturing; health innovation; human resilience; and sustainable environment. The school also owns more than 29,000 acres of agricultural and forest land in South Carolina for research purposes.

On Campus

Clemson also has one of the best football programs in the U.S. and is home to Memorial Stadium, also known as Death Valley, with a seating capacity of more than 80,000.

Notable Clemson University alumni include U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history; TV host Nancy O’Dell; Hooters restaurant founder Robert Brooks; musician Dave Dondero; author Ben Robertson; and Olympic gold medalist Brianna Rollins.

^{Photo credit}