Clemson University ([note a]) is a public land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university by enrollment in South Carolina. For the fall 2025 semester, the university enrolled a total of 24,060 undergraduate students and 5,485 graduate students, and the student/faculty ratio was 16:1. Clemson's 1,400-acre (570 ha) campus is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The campus now borders Lake Hartwell, which was formed by the dam completed in 1962.