The university endeavors to become a "Top 20" public institution, undergoing a process of enhancing its graduate programs while continuing to emphasize the quality of the undergraduate experience.
It has steadily moved up the rankings for public universities from 34, to 30, to 27, to 22 in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 respectively, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked Clemson as the 25th top public school in the U.S., and in 2015 the ranking improved to a tie for 21st.
As of 2019, Clemson is ranked tied for 27th.

However, some have questioned Clemson's efforts to improve its rankings.
In 2009, an administrator revealed that "Clemson manipulated class sizes, artificially boosted faculty salary data and gave rival schools low grades in the rankings' peer reputation survey", with the goal of manipulating its U.S. News & World Report ranking.
Since then the administrator retracted some of her statements and the university denied any wrongdoing.

The renowned economist Robert Tollison joined the Clemson faculty in August 2008.
As part of its push to enhance graduate-level education, several new Ph.D. programs have been created including interdisciplinary doctoral programs in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design (RCID), and Planning, Design, and the Built Environment (formerly Environmental Design and Planning).
Also noteworthy is a new master's degree in historic preservation, jointly offered in collaboration with the College of Charleston.

The university is home to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).
The CU-ICAR is a 250-acre (101 ha) automotive and motorsports research campus in nearby Greenville, South Carolina.
The department of Automotive Engineering was ranked 10th in the world in 2015.
ICAR will include a graduate school offering master's and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering, and offering programs focused on systems integration.
The campus also includes an Information Technology Research Center being developed by BMW.
BMW, Microsoft, IBM, Bosch, The Timken Company and Michelin are all major corporate partners of the CU-ICAR.
Private-sector companies that have committed to establishing offices and/or facilities on the campus include the Society of Automotive Engineers and Timken.
Plans for the campus also include a full-scale, four-vehicle capacity rolling-road model wind tunnel.

In 2004 the Restoration Institute was founded.
Its mission is to "advance knowledge in integrative approaches to the restoration of historic, ecological, and urban infrastructure resources."
The institute is in North Charleston and subsume the Hunley Commission that is undertaking the stabilization of the H.L. Hunley, the world's first submarine to sink a ship.
As of 2013, the institute is constructing a 7.5MW and a 15MW wind turbine test facility for $100 million, to open on November 21.

In 2016, Clemson announced a new partnership with Siemens, including a grant with a total value of $357,224,294.
This grant is the largest in the school's history.
Through it, students in Clemson's College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences will have access to a variety of new software.

In 2011, The Princeton Review ranked Clemson 1st for town-gown relations are great, 2nd for happiest students, 2nd for jock schools, 3rd for everyone plays intramural sports, 8th for students pack the stadiums, and 9th for best career services.

In 2012, SmartMoney named Clemson University as 7th best salary returns on tuition.

In 2012, U.S. News ranked Clemson University 3rd for having the most financial resources per student.
$26,293 was spent on the average student at Clemson University.

In 2015, Clemson University broke ground on the Zucker Family Graduate Education Center in the City of North Charleston.
The 70,000 sq.ft.
facility is estimated to cost more than $22 million.

In 2016, The Princeton Review ranked Clemson University number one in three categories: Student Career Services, Town-Gown Relations, and Students pack the stadium.
The university endeavors to become a "Top 20" public institution, undergoing a process of enhancing its graduate programs while continuing to emphasize the quality of the undergraduate experience. It has steadily moved up the rankings for public universities from 34, to 30, to 27, to 22 in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 respectively, according to the U.S. News & World Report. In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked Clemson as the 25th top public school in the U.S., and in 2015 the ranking improved to a tie for 21st. As of 2019, Clemson is ranked tied for 27th.
However, some have questioned Clemson's efforts to improve its rankings. In 2009, an administrator revealed that "Clemson manipulated class sizes, artificially boosted faculty salary data and gave rival schools low grades in the rankings' peer reputation survey", with the goal of manipulating its U.S. News & World Report ranking. Since then the administrator retracted some of her statements and the university denied any wrongdoing.
The renowned economist Robert Tollison joined the Clemson faculty in August 2008. As part of its push to enhance graduate-level education, several new Ph.D. programs have been created including interdisciplinary doctoral programs in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design (RCID), and Planning, Design, and the Built Environment (formerly Environmental Design and Planning). Also noteworthy is a new master's degree in historic preservation, jointly offered in collaboration with the College of Charleston.
The university is home to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). The CU-ICAR is a 250-acre (101 ha) automotive and motorsports research campus in nearby Greenville, South Carolina. The department of Automotive Engineering was ranked 10th in the world in 2015. ICAR will include a graduate school offering master's and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering, and offering programs focused on systems integration. The campus also includes an Information Technology Research Center being developed by BMW. BMW, Microsoft, IBM, Bosch, The Timken Company and Michelin are all major corporate partners of the CU-ICAR. Private-sector companies that have committed to establishing offices and/or facilities on the campus include the Society of Automotive Engineers and Timken. Plans for the campus also include a full-scale, four-vehicle capacity rolling-road model wind tunnel.
In 2004 the Restoration Institute was founded. Its mission is to "advance knowledge in integrative approaches to the restoration of historic, ecological, and urban infrastructure resources." The institute is in North Charleston and subsume the Hunley Commission that is undertaking the stabilization of the H.L. Hunley, the world's first submarine to sink a ship. As of 2013, the institute is constructing a 7.5MW and a 15MW wind turbine test facility for $100 million, to open on November 21.
In 2016, Clemson announced a new partnership with Siemens, including a grant with a total value of $357,224,294. This grant is the largest in the school's history. Through it, students in Clemson's College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences will have access to a variety of new software.
In 2011, The Princeton Review ranked Clemson 1st for town-gown relations are great, 2nd for happiest students, 2nd for jock schools, 3rd for everyone plays intramural sports, 8th for students pack the stadiums, and 9th for best career services.
In 2012, SmartMoney named Clemson University as 7th best salary returns on tuition.
In 2012, U.S. News ranked Clemson University 3rd for having the most financial resources per student. $26,293 was spent on the average student at Clemson University.
In 2015, Clemson University broke ground on the Zucker Family Graduate Education Center in the City of North Charleston. The 70,000 sq.ft. facility is estimated to cost more than $22 million.
In 2016, The Princeton Review ranked Clemson University number one in three categories: Student Career Services, Town-Gown Relations, and Students pack the stadium.
Clemson University