By Anna Simon
STAFF WRITER

CLEMSON -- With an average SAT score of 1,226, Clemson University President James Barker bragged that the new freshmen starting classes today are the school’s finest yet.

This year’s incoming freshmen – about 65 percent from South Carolina and 35 percent from other states – have an average SAT of 1226, a five-point increase over last year.

It’s also the largest freshman class in awhile.

There are about 2,950 students in this year’s freshman class, said Robert Barkley, admissions director.

In recent years the number has been closer to 2,800.

While Clemson is keeping its total undergraduate and graduate school enrollment around 17,000, there are more freshmen around the desks.

There is more room for more freshmen at Clemson because the graduation rate has improved, Barkley said. Students are receiving their degrees sooner.

That’s mainly due to three factors, a curriculum revamp several years ago, brighter students, and the state’s LIFE and Palmetto scholarships, Barkley said.

The curriculum revamp was a major shakeup when the Provost’s Office directed departments in the university to keep graduation requirements in most majors to a four-year program.

It was done, and now more students are able to complete their courses and walk across the Littlejohn Coliseum stage to shake Barker’s hand and get their diplomas within four years rather than five years or more.

Because they are brighter students, young people entering Clemson today and in the last few years are better prepared to successfully move through their programs in a shorter time, Barkley said.

The state scholarships give added impetus to move a student through the university in four years because the scholarships pay for only eight semesters, Barkley said. A fifth year gets expensive, and he believes the financial incentive has parents keeping watch that their children don’t stray from the four year path.

One other factor also played a role in opening Clemson’s doors to more freshmen this year, and that is the growing popularity of study abroad and cooperative education programs. Because students in these programs are elsewhere, there is literally more space for more freshmen in classrooms and labs and elsewhere on the campus Barkley said.