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How ‘The Dikes’
Came To Be

Two female professors standing and a male professor sitting on a stool next to a man whose legs and arms are outfitted with an exoskeleton device.

Shaping Clemson University

Clemson’s landscape is defined by two dams that separate main campus from the expansive waters of Lake Hartwell. Towering grassy walls topped by well-traveled trails are a favorite spot for students, locals and alumni to enjoy the outdoors with expansive views of the lake and the University. But creating “the dikes” is a decade-long story that dates back more than 70 years.

Learn how the levees rose

University News

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Icons related to sports, school and industry make up the background of a collage with cut-outs of graduates waving, a football player catching a pass, a female scientist examining a paper, the life sciences building, a military member with a service dog, students building a house and the Clemson Elevate logo.

Clemson University has set bold yet achievable goals for a new era with a strategic plan focusing on three pillars: student experience, research and transforming lives. Clemson Elevate is designed to further strengthen our reputation and continue our rise in national recognition.

See Our Plan

Achieve Academic Excellence

A Carnegie R1 public research institution, Clemson University is where purpose-driven students, faculty and staff collaborate on projects that impact our state, country and world. Across more than 80 undergraduate majors and 130 graduate degree programs, artists, scientists, authors and engineers begin the work that will define their careers and our culture. Discover the many paths ready for pursuit at Clemson.



UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS GRADUATE PROGRAMS
James Barker Sketch of The Clemson amphitheater and library

Join the Clemson Family

No one leaves Clemson a stranger to success. Come meet our vibrant community of dedicated students, faculty and staff. Once you walk through campus and listen to the carillon play, you’ll understand why Clemson alumni hear the bells and feel like they’re being called home.

Visit Clemson Apply for Admission
Three female students and two male students gather on a sidewalk on campus in front of the Amphitheater and the Cooper Library Reflection Pond.
University President Jim Clements congratulates a female student on stage at the doctoral ceremony. Both are wearing purple academic regalia.
Three greeklife students work together on a part of a homecoming float display with other displays under construction in the background
James Barker sketch of Sikes Hall

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    The Tiger mascot reclines and poses with orange-clad students on the front row of Death Valley during a night football game.