Clemson University is the 22nd best national public university in the country, according to the annual ranking by U.S.News & World Report. In a new category Clemson also received recognition as a school to watch.
Clemson is No. 2 among national public universities in the “up and coming†category as “a college that has recently made striking improvements or innovations — a school everyone should be watching,†according to the magazine.
The No. 22 ranking is the university’s highest ranking to date. Last year, Clemson was No. 27 among the 164 public, doctoral-granting institutions in the country. The climb in the rank is attributed to improvement in a number of areas at Clemson: the graduation rate has gone up from 75 percent to 78 percent; the freshman retention rate is up from 88 percent to 90 percent; and alumni giving increased from 27 percent to 28 percent. The university has more classes with fewer than 20 students and more freshmen — 52 percent — in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes.
A message from Clemson University President James Barker:
Complete rankings are published in U.S.News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2009.
