Clemson ranked among nation’s best for free speech, remains top college in South Carolina in WSJ/College Pulse Rankings

Clemson continues to be recognized among the top schools nationally in a pair of rankings announced this week. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the Wall Street Journal each released comprehensive rankings with Clemson placing near the top nationally in both.

FIRE's fifth annual rankings included Clemson at No. 21 nationally among all college campuses for student free speech and open inquiry. The top-ranked colleges have the highest average score among all students surveyed and have the most open environments for free speech.

With high marks for student retention and success, salaries after graduation and value for education, Clemson University again ranked atop South Carolina colleges in the 2025 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Rankings.

In addition to its overall ranking, the University also notched several impressive marks in the WSJ/College Pulse 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings, including a score of 81 in salary impact, which measures the extent to which a college boosts its graduates' salaries beyond what they would be expected to earn regardless of which college they attended. The mark ranked well ahead of several peer institutions, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Purdue University, University of Texas at Austin, the University of Georgia, the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, and the University of South Carolina.

Earlier this year, Clemson became one of only two schools in South Carolina, and one of only 67 nationwide, to earn a "green light" rating from FIRE. Green light ratings are reserved for institutions with no written policies that seriously imperil student free speech rights.

Just last week, Clemson was again named a top institution nationally in rankings announced by Niche and The Princeton Review. Niche provided Clemson with an overall A rating and named it the No. 1 college in South Carolina. The Princeton Review included Clemson in its Best Value, Best 390 Colleges and Best Colleges of the South lists.