The 25 Most Desirable Rural Schools

Clemson University gains several distinctions from Newsweek. Its small-town location places it among the most desirable rural schools at No. 23, while its nearly 20,000-strong student body makes it No. 21 on the list of most desirable large schools. Meanwhile, with four percent of its students participating in one of 15 varsity NCAA Division I sports, an additional 61 intramural sports offered, and about a third of the school’s expenditures allocated to athletics, Clemson is considered one of the top colleges for jocks at No. 20.   

Academic brawn remains a priority however as only half of Clemson’s applicants are admitted. Those who attend average a 30 on the ACT and 1320 on the SAT. The school boasts a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio.  

In-state students paid just over $11,000 in tuition and fees to attend for the 2009–2010 academic year, while out-of-state students paid $25,388. No surprise, then, that more than 60 percent of its students hail from its home state of South Carolina.