Clemson OK’s athletic fee is $150 per semester, per student

CLEMSON, SC — The Clemson University Board of Trustees has approved a $150 per semester athletic fee for students beginning next academic year.

The panel debated the measure earlier this week before passing it Friday.

Fees for the athletic department are expected to increase to between $7 million and $8 million in 2025-26. The school has long resisted such fees and has not charged its students for available single-game tickets to athletic events.

Undergraduates at rival South Carolina were charged $86 per semester in athletic fees this academic year, according to the school’s website.

Clemson said the fee “will reflect the institution’s commitment to investing in a healthy and vibrant varsity athletic program and student experience.”

Power conference schools are looking for new ways to raise money after a 2016 agreement to pay thousands of athletes $2.78 billion in compensation. As part of that settlement, the schools agreed to distribute up to $21 million in revenue to athletes. Annually, beginning next fall.