Clemson University was founded in 1889, a legacy of Thomas Green Clemson, who willed his Fort Hill plantation home, its surrounding farmlands and forest, and other property to the state of South Carolina to establish a technical and scientific institution for South Carolina. Clemson opened its doors to 446 students as a military college in 1893.

Today, Clemson is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral/Research University-Extensive, a category comprising less than 4 percent of all universities in America. Students can choose from more than 70 undergraduate and 100 graduate degree programs in five colleges: Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; Architecture, Arts and Humanities; business and Behavioral Science; engineering and Science; and Health, Education and Human Development.

Clemson is the top-ranked and most preferred among all South Carolina public universities. Clemson is now ranked with Indiana University and Michigan State University as a top-notch public university and research institution.

Clemson's stature as a research institution is also growing. Clemson's Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films was designated a national engineering research center by the National Science Foundation, one of only 20 in the nation. Clemson's record in generating income from patents and licenses and its faculty Expertise in textiles, fibers and film engineering led to the donation of more than $50 million worth of patents and intellectual properties from Eastman Chemical Co. and the Hoechst Co.