Clemson approves an athletic fee of $150 per semester for students starting next year

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson University’s board of trustees has approved an athletic fee of $150 per semester for students starting next academic year.

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

The fee is expected to raise between $7 million and $8 million for the athletic department in 2025-26. The school had long resisted such fees and has not charged its students for single-game available 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 fees will “reflect the institution’s commitment to a healthy and vibrant varsity athletic program and an investment in the student experience.”

Power conference schools have been looking for new ways to raise money following an an agreement to pay $2.78 billion in damages to hundreds of thousands of athletes dating to 2016. As part of that settlement, schools have agreed to distribute up to $21 million in revenue to athletes annually, starting as early as next fall.

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