Clemson University will launch a new College of Veterinary Medicine in 2026, creating the university’s first professional school and the first-of-its kind program in SC.
The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the $285 million program on Thursday, June 22.
The college will be located on Queen Street across from Clemson’s equine center and is supported by the SC General Assembly + Governor Henry McMaster. The state’s budget included $103 million in support of the school.
“I believe we will look back on this day as one that is going to have an immense impact on our state for generations of people to come,” Board of Trustees Chairwoman Kim Wilkerson told The Post and Courier
The need
Mars Veterinary Health found a need for 41,000 veterinarians by 2030 — the year Clemson’s first class of veterinarians will graduate.
They will help meet a need here in the Upstate + across SC, where experts found:
- 33% of SC counties have fewer than five veterinarians.
- 48% of SC counties have fewer than 10 veterinarians.
- ~200 SC students were actively enrolled at 13 out-of-state veterinary colleges last year.
Next steps
According to The Post and Courier, there are four finalists for the founding dean position + architects have been secured to design the classrooms, labs, and other campus spaces — expected to break ground across from the Garrison Arena in March 2024.
