Clemson University vs North Dakota State University-Main Campus (NDSU)

Clemson University, a public research university in South Carolina, and North Dakota State University-Main Campus, a public land-grant research university in North Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences. Clemson boasts a higher acceptance rate (63%) compared to North Dakota State's (88%), indicating a more selective admissions process. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, Clemson excels in engineering, agriculture, and life sciences, while North Dakota State is renowned for its programs in engineering, business, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about the differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.
Clemson University logo

Clemson University

North Dakota State University-Main Campus logo

North Dakota State University-Main Campus

Overview

Location Clemson, South Carolina Fargo, North Dakota
Campus setting Suburb: Large City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 94.0% 76.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 49.2% 95.5%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $80
Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $35
SAT range 1220 - 1420 1096 - 1313
ACT range 27 - 32 20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 40.0% 1.0%
Students submitting ACT score 30.0% 63.0%
Total number of applicants 47,007 8,143
Total number of admissions given out 23,138 7,773
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,593 2,491
Yield rate 19.9% 32.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $34,164

Out of state: $57,156
In state: $23,879

Out of state: $28,354
Average net price $23,732 $16,677
Tuition
In state: $14,118

Out of state: $37,110
In state: $8,951

Out of state: $13,426
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,808

Meal plan: $4,426
Room/dormitory: $4,100

Meal plan: $4,778
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

81.0%
Average amount $9,699
91.0%
Average amount $4,089
Students receiving federal student loan 41.0%
Average amount $5,281
60.0%
Average amount $5,226
Students taking out private loans 9.0%
Average amount $21,664
28.0%
Average amount $11,868

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 21,653
Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
10,199
Men 49.8% Women 50.2%
Graduate students 5,688
Men 46.8% Women 53.2%
2,262
Men 47.4% Women 52.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students 48.4% 64.0%
International students 4.8% 5.5%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 7,800 5,563
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from South Carolina North Carolina Georgia New Jersey New York Minnesota North Dakota Wisconsin South Dakota California

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Agriculture
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Education
  • Business
  • Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio 16:1 18:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 85.5% 64.9%
Dropout rate 2.3% 10.7%
Transferred out 11.3% 22.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,776
  • Year 2: $90,762
  • Year 3: $98,373
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,762
  • Year 2: $69,079
  • Year 3: $82,921
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,898
  • Year 2: $74,262
  • Year 3: $80,104
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,368
  • Year 2: $74,721
  • Year 3: $78,362
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,182
  • Year 2: $68,592
  • Year 3: $76,236
Public Administration (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,048
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $76,070
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,632
  • Year 2: $67,995
  • Year 3: $74,017
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,398
  • Year 2: $66,673
  • Year 3: $73,905
Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,136
  • Year 2: $66,206
  • Year 3: $73,720
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,228
  • Year 2: $67,101
  • Year 3: $73,643
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $112,561
  • Year 2: $117,751
  • Year 3: $125,733
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,645
  • Year 2: $101,072
  • Year 3: $116,073
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $72,828
  • Year 3: $93,292
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,521
  • Year 2: $66,401
  • Year 3: $74,017
Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,785
  • Year 2: $64,865
  • Year 3: $72,508
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,224
  • Year 2: $65,409
  • Year 3: $72,103
Agricultural Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,019
  • Year 2: $67,660
  • Year 3: $69,536
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,818
  • Year 2: $59,576
  • Year 3: $68,476
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,258
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $68,399
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,793
  • Year 2: $58,866
  • Year 3: $67,481

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The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
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