In 2020, Clemson accepted 13,613 of its 28,845 applicants, placing the institution at an acceptance rate of about 47%.
That’s lower than some smaller state schools in the area, such as South Carolina State University, which has an acceptance rate of 53%.
It’s also more selective than the University of South Carolina (63%), one of its closest competitors (geographically and otherwise).
At the same time, the University of South Carolina slightly edges out Clemson in admission yield (the number of accepted applicants that enroll) — Clemson’s 28% vs. University of South Carolina’s 30%.
Both are popular South Carolina schools — however, Clemson’s slightly lower yield may be due to a higher cost or other factors.
Outside of South Carolina, though, Clemson is in the middle of the pack when it comes to comparable schools.
To the north, UNC-Chapel Hill’s acceptance rate is only 23%, yet its admissions yield is 45%. NC State University’s acceptance rate is just about 47%, right along with Clemson, but its 35% admissions yield is higher.
That said, Clemson is more selective than some other competitors further from the east coast, accepting a smaller percentage of applicants than comparable universities such as Arizona State University and Ohio State University.