By the CampusROI Editorial Team · Editorial standards
Is Clemson Worth It? The ROI Data on Clemson University (2026)
Clemson costs $15,554/year in-state and $40,866 out-of-state, with an average net price of $22,253 after aid. Graduates earn $71,513 at ten years and pay the degree back in 6.3 years. It is the best ROI in South Carolina, and it beats the state flagship at a lower net price.
Clemson is the rare in-state flagship-tier public where the value case does not require any special pleading. It scores 86/100, the best in South Carolina, and the reason is a number families usually ignore: 86.6% of the students who enroll actually finish.
Clemson by the Numbers
| Metric | Clemson |
|---|---|
| CampusROI Score | 86/100 - Strong Value |
| In-state tuition | $15,554/year |
| Out-of-state tuition | $40,866/year |
| Average net price (all students) | $22,253/year |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $89,012 |
| Median earnings (10 years out) | $71,513 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,500 |
| 6-year graduation rate | 86.6% |
| Acceptance rate | 38.3% |
| Estimated payback period | 6.3 years |
The In-State Case
For a South Carolina resident this is close to a settled question.
At $15,554 in-state tuition and a $22,253 average net price, Clemson returns $71,513 in median earnings ten years out and clears its median debt in 6.3 years. The debt itself is moderate: $21,500 at graduation, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.447, which means a graduate on the median owes well under half a year of income.
Net price moves a lot by family income, and the average hides the part that matters most to families who need aid:
- Under $30,000: $13,607
- $30,001 to $48,000: $14,109
- $48,001 to $75,000: $18,851
- $75,001 to $110,000: $24,833
- $110,001 and up: $27,922
The bottom two brackets pay roughly half what the top bracket pays. If your family sits under $48,000, Clemson is cheaper than its headline number by about $8,000 a year, and the payback math gets correspondingly faster.
The Out-of-State Problem
Out-of-state tuition is $40,866, which is $25,312 above the in-state figure and changes the question entirely.
Clemson does not discount heavily for non-residents, and the $22,253 average net price blends residents and non-residents together, so an out-of-state family should not plan against it. The honest version: run Clemson's own net price calculator with your real numbers before treating any of the figures above as yours. At full out-of-state cost the payback period stretches well past 6.3 years, and at that price Clemson is competing with the flagship in your own state, which is usually the better bet for the same reason Clemson is the better bet here.
Clemson Against the Rest of South Carolina
South Carolina has 35 scored institutions, and the top of the board is tighter than most states.
Against the University of South Carolina-Columbia (ROI 72): Clemson wins on every axis simultaneously. $9,336 more in median earnings, completion of 86.6% against 78.8%, a payback 2.2 years faster, at a net price $558 lower. There is no trade being made here, which is unusual and which is what settles the comparison.
Against the Citadel Military College (ROI 85): the closest thing to a real rival, and it beats Clemson on the two numbers people care about most. Citadel graduates report median earnings of $72,085, which is $572 above Clemson's, at a net price of $20,723, which is $1,530 below Clemson's. Clemson keeps the higher overall score on completion (86.6% against 75.0%) and on scale, with 23,300 students against a small corps. If the military college structure fits, the Citadel is the better financial deal in this state and the ranking gap does not say otherwise.
Against Wofford College (ROI 81): Wofford is the cheapest of the state's strong options at an $18,732 net price, $3,521 below Clemson, with an 84.2% completion rate and $68,964 in median earnings. It carries the higher debt load, $25,732 against Clemson's $21,500. For a student who wants a small liberal-arts campus, Wofford is the value pick and gives up remarkably little.
Against College of Charleston (ROI 57): the gap is wide and worth being direct about. Charleston's $18,960 net price is $3,293 below Clemson's, which is the whole of its case. Median earnings are $56,416, some $15,097 below Clemson's, completion is 65.8%, and the payback period is 10.1 years against Clemson's 6.3. That is 3.8 additional years of earnings going to the degree rather than to the graduate. Charleston sells its location and campus honestly, and both are real, but on the money it trails every school named above. The program-by-program exception is general business and accounting, which is laid out in our head-to-head comparison.
The Verdict
In-state: yes, clearly, and it is the best value in South Carolina. An 86/100 with no subscore below 82, a 6.3-year payback, and an 86.6% completion rate is about as clean a profile as a public university produces. For a South Carolina family the main competition is the Citadel on price and Wofford on fit, not the state flagship.
Out-of-state: probably not, unless your net price comes back close to the in-state figure or the program is specifically what you need. At $40,866 you are paying a private-school premium for a public-school outcome, and your own flagship almost certainly does better.
The number to actually check is completion, not prestige. Clemson's 94/100 completion subscore is doing more work in this score than its earnings, and that is the pattern across our whole dataset: the schools that pay off are the ones where students finish. Run the full South Carolina table to see how far that spreads across the state, and put your own family numbers through the ROI calculator rather than trusting any average, including ours.
For the wider state picture, see our South Carolina value breakdown. For how in-state status changes this math generally, see how state choice changes college ROI, and for the national public-school picture, the public school ROI rankings.
Data from College Board, IPEDS, state higher education agencies, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Tuition figures reflect 2024-25 academic year. All figures as of March 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clemson worth the cost?
In-state, yes, and it is the strongest value in South Carolina. Clemson scores 86/100 with a 6.3-year payback period, an 86.6% graduation rate, and median earnings of $71,513 ten years out against an average net price of $22,253. Its completion subscore of 94/100 is the highest of any figure in its profile, and completion is the single biggest predictor of whether a degree pays. Out-of-state, at $40,866 in tuition before aid, the case is much narrower and depends on your own net price rather than the average.
What is Clemson's ROI score?
Clemson scores 86/100, rated Strong Value, the highest in South Carolina. The subscores: completion rate 94/100, payback period 88/100, earnings premium 83/100, repayment rate 83/100, and debt-to-earnings 82/100. The profile is unusually even, with no weak leg. Median debt at graduation is $21,500 against $71,513 in median earnings, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.447.
Is Clemson or the University of South Carolina better value?
Clemson, and it is not close on our numbers. Clemson scores 86 against 72 for the University of South Carolina-Columbia, and it wins on every axis at once: $9,336 more in median earnings ten years out, an 86.6% completion rate against 78.8%, a payback 2.2 years faster, and it does that at a net price $558 LOWER. That last part is what makes it decisive. The usual trade of paying more for a better outcome is not on the table here, because the better outcome is also the cheaper one.
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