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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Clemson University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/clemson-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/clemson-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/clemson-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/clemson-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/clemson-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Clemson University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Clemson University is $35,015. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported out-of-state tuition of $39,350 and required fees of $1,516 as sticker charges.

For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $22,253. Financial aid reduces the published cost by $12,762 on average.

That average net price is $6,619 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #805 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) at Clemson University is $22,253. The average net price is $6,619 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Completers who borrowed hold a median of $21,500 in federal loans, $1,424 above the median for comparable institutions. By income band, the lowest band averages $13,607 and the highest averages $27,922.

Azimuth ranks the affordability pillar in the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pricing changes sharply across the family-income bands. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $13,607 in the lowest-income band, $14,109 in the next band, $18,851 in the middle band, $24,833 in the next-highest band, and $27,922 in the highest-income band.

Pell Grant recipients account for 14.8% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,315.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$13,607

**$30–48K**
$14,109

**$48–75K**
$18,851

**$75–110K**
$24,833

**$110K+**
$27,922

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$22,253**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s range from $13,607 in the lowest income band to $27,922 in the highest, a spread of $14,315 between the two ends.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2024-25 academic year, 2,126 first-year students were determined to have financial need. Of those, 237 had that need fully met.

Among aided students with need, the average share of need met was 49%, with an average need-based grant of $13,154 and an average package of $14,186. The university also awarded merit aid to 1,090 first-year students, averaging $4,905.

The pattern across income bands shows lower average net prices at lower incomes, though the spread is moderate.

A published cost of attendance of $35,015 is the starting point before grants and scholarships. For aid recipients, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,607 in the lowest family-income band, $14,109 in the lower-middle band, $18,851 in the middle band, $24,833 in the upper-middle band, and $27,922 in the highest family-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,315. Azimuth ranks Clemson University #805 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 36% of the published cost, or average savings of $12,762. The overall average net price is $22,253, which is $6,619 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $15,634.

Published in-state tuition is $15,554, out-of-state tuition is $40,866, and room and board is $13,284. The higher overall price than comparable institutions sits alongside aid that offsets part of the published cost.

Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,500, and 91.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $1,424 above the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $35,463.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is widespread at Clemson University: federal loans are used by 91.2% of federal aid recipients. Among completers with federal loans, median federal student loan debt is $21,500.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, placing the university's median $1,424 above it. Separate parent borrowers have median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $35,463.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 44% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $35,392 in cumulative borrowing. Its figures include 42% of graduates with federal loans, whose average cumulative borrowing was $19,847.

They also include 15% of graduates with private loans, whose average cumulative borrowing was $47,984.

At Clemson University, the investment picture is mixed: graduates out-earn their peers, but the earnings fall short of what the model expects for similar students. Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $75,142 four years after completion, placing the university at the 84th percentile nationally.

That is $9,532 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). However, graduates earn about $8,474 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 23rd percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $52,284 in a downside case to $94,446 in an upside case, with $75,142 as the typical outcome. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,500 in federal student loans, $1,424 above the peer median.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month.

For [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) parent borrowers, median borrowing is $35,463. Median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$35,463

**Estimated parent payment**
$451/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$21,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$35,463

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$244/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$451/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$695/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $75,142, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.6%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=clemson-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.