Private nonprofit · College

Clinton College

Rock Hill, South Carolina · Small city

#3 best value in South Carolina
Admit rate
$11,458
Avg net price
14%
Graduation rate
$30,180
Median earnings

Clinton College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Rock Hill, South Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 126 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 126 undergradsSmall cityNCCAA Division I

About Rock Hill, South Carolina

Rock Hill is the most populous city in York County, South Carolina, United States, and the 5th-most populous city in the state. Although some European settlers had already arrived in the Rock Hill area in the 1830s and 1840s, Rock Hill did not become an actual town until the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad Company made the decision to send a rail line through the area. Rock Hill's Historic Old Town area is home to many of the city's historic buildings, art galleries, history museums, and cultural events. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
147 miles
Nearest airport
22 miles to Charlotte Douglas (CLT) · major hub

How Clinton College compares

Graduation rate14%

Higher than 4% · #34 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention58%

Higher than 12%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$30,180

Higher than 3% · #35 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$11,458

Cheaper than 86% · #3 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$28,987

Lower than 5%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment126

Larger than 9%

Percentiles compare Clinton College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

126undergrads
  • Women3629%
  • Men9071%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White0.8%
  • Black90%
  • Hispanic4.0%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial4.0%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
126
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
77%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
35%
Median family income
$16,926
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$47,655
Endowment
$22,780

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,136
Room & board
$13,500
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$25,015
Average net price
$11,458

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
14%
Graduated on time (4 years)
83%
First-year retention
58%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$24,047
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$30,180
Median debt at graduation
$28,987
Students with federal loans
89%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
7%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
146
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$3,994
Meal plan (year)
$6,500
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
90 (35 men · 55 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (3)

Basketball58
Volleyball25
Other Sports7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$11,105
$30–48k
$11,999
$48–75k
$6,854
$75–110k
$12,222
$110k+

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$27,416

$6,854/year × about 4.0 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

60%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,424
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 60% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,424. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 55 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$30,180
Typical debt at graduation
$28,987
Debt vs. one year's pay
96%
Out-earn a HS grad
24%

Typical debt would take roughly 9.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$34,683
Men
$28,530

Women out-earn men by $6,153 (22%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
91°F
Winter low
33°F
Annual rain
42.6″
Annual snow
3.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winthrop Univ, SC US station (1.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Clinton College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Clinton College side by side →

Colleges near Clinton College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.