Clemson Stats
The question about out-of-state students and their decision to attend Clemson University will be explored through a few interviews. The following research hopes to find out reasons on why an out-of-state student would want to attend Clemson and remain there. These series of interviews follow several enrolled or graduated out-of-state students from Clemson University and asks about their upbringing, what they wanted in their time at college, how they heard about Clemson, and what kind of things went into their decision to attend Clemson. Questions are also asked about their time at Clemson and what made them stay since the option of transferring is a distinct decision on a college as well—so, in asking what made them come to Clemson, questions also ask why they remained at Clemson. What was anticipated is a diverse set of answers from out-of-state students to consider to understand the process of learning about Clemson and deciding to invest into it.
Research-wise, nothing specific has been said about why students go to Clemson, but the University has kept track of the number of students since the late 19th century. The enrollment typically has been steadily increasing throughout history save for a massive drop in enrollment during the years that the United States joined World War 2, shown in the Historical Enrollment file on the left. The Facts Sheet to the left shows that the graduation rate has been around 80%, meaning many students have managed to graduate. This could point out the strength of the university in appealing to students enough to continue the investment as well as a high chance of contributing to their achieving a degree. The Fact Sheet also shows that typically around 50% of applicants from South Carolina are accepted into Clemson as well. Universities are said to have invested in out-of-state students because they are likely to stay in that state and work while at the same time gaining the benefits of out-of-state tuition (Groen 2). These facts can contribute to the fundamental reasons on attending Clemson, which should be the goal of these Fact Sheets in the first place. They provide some information on the interviewees as well.