@projectmgr Yes, that’s what they do. Unfortunately, no objective way exists to cross-rank students from two different schools with this approach.
@goingnuts Hope your son likes OSU - I went for my grad school there 20 years ago. It has great reputation, beautiful campus and outstanding school spirit, just like Clemson. Columbus is a pretty big city too, with a plenty of places to go and stuff to do - something Clemson is lacking.
We are in a similar position, comparing Clemson to another school (Colorado State for us). Taking son to see both in April, before making a final decision.
@carolinamom2boys Of course Clemson can decide who gets scholarships and who does not. There seems to be a lot of OOS applicants who met the 1340 SAT mark who were considered and did not receive scholarship offers but have yet to hear of any SC residents who met the in-state criteria were considered and did not received a scholarship offer. Might I suggest changing the wording on the website to: schools who do not rank will still be considered but it is unlikely you will receive an offer. That would be a little more honest.
Clemson certainly understands why schools don’t rank. They are a top 25 University that’s been doing admissions a long time. We are from a non-ranking high school. The guidance counselor sends in a school profile and other statistics and they are able to discern where the students stands in a class.
@goinnuts The reason you have not heard about in-state students not receiving scholarships is because they are not distributed by Clemson. They are a product of the state education lottery and distributed by them, not Clemson. If a students meets the merit criteria, they get the scholarship to use at an in-state institution. It is not the same money as out of state merit scholarships. Also, there are plenty of students from out of state non-ranking schools that receive the merit money.
Can we all agree that this process is HARD? Feelings are involved. It’s highly stressful for the students and the parents. We are talking about a monumental life decision not to mention a ton of money. Obviously we all love Clemson on we wouldn’t be on this board. I just wish everyone would be a bit more kind and compassionate. If you feel the need to criticize another poster, please keep it to yourself. Adding snarky comments really doesn’t help anyone. When I started this thread, it was to share info and opinions and meet people on the same journey as me. I have been on the receiving end of more than a few nasty comments (on this website and others). Several people were outright rude to me about my triplets’ chances of being admitted to Clemson and it hurt. What they considered unrealistic, I considered hopeful. And, as you all know, they were WRONG. All three of my kids ARE going to Clemson. And yet, as tempting as it was, I did not go back to those who said we had no shot. I am simply grateful for the opportunity we’ve been given. Point here is just be nice. It’s really not that hard.
@genesmasher Thanks I hope my son likes OSU also. We are visiting in a couple of weeks. I hope your son likes Colorado State as well. It is very beautiful out there. If not I guess I will see you at Clemson orientation. I just wish I wasn’t dreading the idea of writing a check every 6 months to a school I believe is not very honorable. Enjoy your trip.
@baxter126 I was referring only to responses on this forum and the lack of in-state complaints about scholarship awards when criteria was met. If the website stated Clemson would use other methods for non-ranking schools to try to estimate if the applicant was in the top 10% to qualify I would have been fine with that. There in no way my son was even in the top 25%. Their scholarship information page needs rewording and clarification.
@goinnuts Would you clarify what you mean by “not very honorable”? I’m genuinely asking. That is a big accusation and since many here are considering Clemson, it would be great to explain that statement. Please know, I really am asking sincerely. You used the word scam before as well, which also implies something dishonest going on. As for the scholarship criteria issue, we were actually assured by admissions that they do use other methods to estimate class rank, but for in-state that only pertains to admissions because in-state scholarships are received by either class rank OR tests scores if your school doesn’t rank. Hope that makes sense.
Part of what many people here are trying to help others with is that this process does not have to be as stressful as many make it. People on these boards help me by creating reasonable expectations and understanding approximate chances and costs at various schools. This accurate picture greatly reduces the stress. Parents are a big part of this because we’re the ones with life experiences and big picture thinking. Being open to how things unfold and how various opportunities arise is a big part of success and contentment in this process.
The only rude and snarky comments lately came from a student who was not happy with the offer received. Disappointment is hard, but they do not have the right to tell others to get off this board. Hence, why that post was removed. Telling someone who asks about that their students chances that scores are on the lower end of published averages is not rude or unkind. It’s just facts. We all know that averages are just that, and your student may still get in or not. @4n2yrs I think everyone on this board that followed your story is happy for you that your kids were accepted.
Considering someone for a merit scholarship from a school who does not rank means their stats will be assessed and the school with determine if they are worthy of merit. I would think, although I am not positive because I do not work for Clemson, I would think students who are closer to the rank requirements based on decile scores sent in a school report would be more likely to get merit, while those others who are further away from the 10% would be less likely to receive merit. Consideration for is not equal to earning merit. My son has applied to OOS schools. We have looked at their websites regarding scholarships. We have never assumed that he would get anything , but when he did we were pleasantly surprised. I agree with @Baxter126 that there’s no need to make this more complicated that it is. I realize that it is disappointing and frustrating when you or your child doesn’t get accepted to a school, or you don’t receive money that you want or need to attend a school , but some people are taking these decisions way too personally. And FYI, CC is just a small reflection of applicants, acceptances , denials and waitlists and to make general.assumptions regarding trends is probably not the best way to assess things.
@baxter126 My discontent stems from the OOS merit scholarship criteria and the information stated on the Clemson website that students from non-ranking high schools would be considered for scholarships. My son goes to a very competitive high school. I was confident we were going to get $7500 (1410 SAT) and when no scholarship was offered I called the financial aid office and was told they use a formula consisting of percentage of As to Bs , school profile and something else that I do not remember to calculate a top 10% rank probability. It seemed disingenuous because of the vagueness of the criteria for non-ranking schools and the attempt to use a top 10% rank anyway without stating that on the website( still using a top 10% rank for his high school would eliminate virtually all probable applicants) So I really don’t believe he was considered for a scholarship. Hence, my resentment. In instances where money and feeling are at stake clarity is very important. I could be wrong and the omissions might not be deliberate. Oh well, would’t be the first time I was wrong. Good luck to all.
@carolinamom2boys I have been reading all of the threads about Clemson for the last year. I have appreciated your input immensely. You don’t sugarcoat. You state the facts. You try to give accurate and fair information. Thank you!
This thread is certainly getting lively I agree with what @Baxter126 said - the process can be relatively stress-free, if good research is done ahead of time and expectations are realistic.
@goingnuts I wouldn’t characterize Clemson as being dishonorable. They are entitled to have their own business model, complete with all the quirks and wrinkles, no matter how annoying to us. Nor are they obligated to explain or justify it to anybody who doesn’t like it. On the flip side, any applicant (and their parents) can form their own opinion as to the value this school (or any other) represents. Cost is an important part of the decision process, but so is school reputation, preferred major availability and rank, projected outcomes post-graduation, campus environment including housing and food, demographics, location, “feel”, etc… People weigh all of these parameters differently, based on their own priorities. I will support and sponsor my son if he decides to go to Clemson. But I will probably wince while writing that big check, because I question the value. On the other hand, if he gets into Virginia Tech (from wait list), I would be smiling, because in my mind VT is a much more solid value, even at full OOS cost. Many people on this forum probably have the opposite opinion, and that’s perfectly fine, because their priorities maybe totally different.
@genesmasher ITA with your opinion of VT, definitely worth the OOS tuition. Just IMHO, but I did go there, so I am biased I live in NC and my S applied to Clemson and VT as well (already accepted ). I would have a hard time paying OOS tuition for Clemson, but we are fortunate enough that we wouldn’t have to with his stats. I am pretty sure that unless he gets lucky, we will have to pay OOS for VT and I wouldn’t even wince at writing that check.
I do believe Clemson is very generous to give out as much merit as they do. Most public schools don’t and certainly not as much to OOS as they do. Being in NC, everyone here knows that if you have such and such GPA and SAT scores, you basically pay instate rates. South Carolina offers something similar and that’s very generous of both of them. I also understand, if you don’t hit that mark, you are outta luck. It is what it is, but try that at UVA, U of Fl, and many other state schools. It’s a generous offer for the hard work the kid did and they want to bring motivated kids and bring their school up in numbers as well, win for everyone. UVA, U of FL, UC Berkley, your state flagships, they already have their numbers, so they don’t need to entice higher scoring kids to their schools. But we all can see that places like Clemson and South Carolina, their minimum SAT and GPAs are on a rise. It’s serving them well. I also understand that last year, one of my close friend’s daughter first choice was U of Fl and she had 1240 SAT, she got denied and was SO disappointed. My friend called admissions and said that 2018 class SAT minimum was 1270, so that’s where she dropped off. Times are changing and these kids are getting smarter But it is making schools much more difficult to get in to
@genesmasher - agreed…massive variability amongst schools/criteria; I expect there is a fair amount of weighting by the area/region AO counselors based on their experience with the various schools in their assigned georgaphy (ie - they may decide to rank an estimated Top 25% student over a Top 10% student if they have sufficient history with a given school).
There is no consistent grading scale throughout the country. They are somehow able to evaluate each transcript and make comparisons to determine admission. Why would it be any different for scholarships?
@carolinamom2boys Sure, but the point is, having HS rank at the core of the entire admission/scholarship selection is a fundamentally flawed idea, until a universal system is established to rank HIGH SCHOOLS THEMSELVES. Until then, the current subjective and arbitrary ranking process will continue to frustrate, because of its inherent propensity to put kids from highly competitive high schools at a disadvantage. At some point more and more families will figure it out and have kids go to mediocre high schools, just for the sake of inflating GPA and rank in time for college Unfortunately with the applicant pool getting larger and ever more competitive each year (like @“VA–>NC” rightly noted), there is simply not enough motivation for top schools to make any changes.
PS. The easiest solution would be to establish a common compulsory educational program across all high schools in the US, but that of course will never happen in this country - we need our freedom !
@genesmasher VT where my son is heading - Pamplin Business (OOS) and is now very excited! (He was rejected from Clemson but I still check in on this thread in to learn for my youngest who may be interested). Best of luck and I hope it works out! Go Hokies!
I agree with what 
I live in NC and my S applied to Clemson and VT as well (already accepted 