Clemson University requires first-year applicants to self-report their high school transcripts. Students who are admitted to Clemson will be required to send official transcripts prior to enrollment. If you need troubleshooting assistance while completing the STARS, please contact STARS Technical Support.
Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System (STARS) at Clemson
What is the Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System?
The Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System (STARS) is an applicant-completed list of courses and corresponding grades that replaces the high school transcripts used by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions during the application review process. While official copies of transcripts are no longer required during the admissions review process, the STARS must be completed before a student’s application is reviewed.
Who is required to complete the Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System at Clemson?
All first-year applicants (students who are currently enrolled in high school or have not enrolled in or earned credit at another college or university following high school graduation) are required to complete the STARS. Students will enter their courses, grades and class rank (if provided on transcript) in the STARS. Accuracy is critical, so we strongly encourage you to have a copy of your high school transcript available when you complete the STARS.
Home-educated/home-schooled students who have followed an academic curriculum designed after the U.S. system will need to complete the STARS. If your academic curriculum does not follow the U.S. system, please email us for assistance at apply@admission.clemson.edu. If you have completed a GED, please complete the STARS, and upload an unofficial copy of your GED certificate in either your Clemson admissions portal or the STARS portal.
Transfer applicants (students who have attended a regionally accredited college after high school graduation) should not complete the STARS and must submit final official transcripts from each college previously attended.
When do I complete my Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System?
The Clemson University SRAR is separate from the admissions application and can be completed directly on the STARS website or can be accessed through your Clemson admissions portal after you have submitted your application.
Your application will not be reviewed until your SRAR has been received. October 15 is the deadline to submit your application for Early Action consideration. November 1 is the last date to submit test scores (optional) and STARS to be considered for Early Action. January 1 is the deadline to submit your application for Regular Decision consideration. January 10 is the last date to submit test scores (optional) and STARS to be considered for Regular Decision. Once your STARS is submitted to Clemson, it should show up on your record within 1-2 business days.
Once your STARS is submitted to Clemson, it should show up on your record within 1-2 business days.
How do I fill out the Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System for Clemson?
Log into your Clemson admissions portal.
After submitting your application, log into your Clemson admissions portal to find the link to the STARS system. There will be a seamless log-in process between the two systems. If you have already completed a STARS for another institution, you can select to submit that information to Clemson in the STARS system.
If you have already completed a STARS for another institution, you can select to submit that information to Clemson in the STARS system.
Locate your school in the STARS system.
The STARS high school name list comes from the College Board. If your school does not immediately appear in the list, use variants of your official school name in the search bar. If you can’t find your high school, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at apply@admission.clemson.edu or 864-656-2287.
Define your school’s grading scale.
It is important to enter your grades exactly as they appear on your transcript. If your school uses plusses and minuses, identify the “Grading Scale” section of the STARS and check the box indicating that your school uses plusses and minuses. You will then see these options when entering grades.
Weighted Grades
For weighted grades, you will use the course level field on the STARS to indicate the type of course (honors, AP, dual enrollment, etc.) Only enter college coursework on your SRAR if you participated in dual enrollment, early college high school or attained specific approval from your high school to take college courses for high school credit.
Enter your courses and grades exactly as they appear on your high school transcript.
STARS Grade Entry Tips
- If you have taken high school credit courses prior to ninth grade, indicate those courses in the middle school section. You do not need to include the name of your middle or junior high school.
- Enter your final grades for all courses completed in grades nine through 11.
- Choose "In Progress" for 12th-grade courses you have not yet completed. If you have received final grades for 12th-grade courses, please enter the grades received.
- When entering course credit values, enter the value exactly as it appears on your high school transcript. If the default credit value differs from what appears on your transcript, change it to reflect what is on your high school transcript.
- Do not add + or – to your grade if it does not appear on your transcript.
- Reflect the weight of your grades only by designating courses as honors, AP or dual enrollment when applicable.
- Do not change the format of your grades (such as converting numbers to letters).
- Do not round your grades or use averages.
- If your school gives final grades at the end of each year, then enter that grade.
- If your school gives final grades each term or semester, list each course with its final grade by term or semester. List the same course twice if you repeated it in a different term.
- If your ninth grade year was part of your middle school/junior high, enter those courses under your high school record.
- If you do not see your exact course name on the drop-down list, type it in exactly as it appears on your transcript.
- List all grades, even for courses that you failed or repeated. If you withdrew from a class before receiving a grade, list the course and record the grade as withdrawn. Please do the same for Pass/Fail courses.
Enter courses from every high school you attended.
If you went to more than one high school, please begin with the transcript from the school where you will graduate. If courses from any of your previous schools show with grades and credits on this transcript, enter them all under that one school. If your previous courses/grades are not listed on your current transcript, you will need to get a copy of your previous transcript and enter that school separately on the STARS.
Edit your STARS as needed
You can pause your work on the SRAR and return to it later by selecting “Save” or “Save Course” (if prompted) before leaving the screen or logging out. If you need to fix a mistake or update your STARS after submitting it, contact us at apply@admission.clemson.edu or 864-656-2287.
Transcript Considerations
You are not required to submit an unofficial transcript. All applicants have the option to upload an unofficial transcript in addition to completing the STARS, but it is not required.
If you are admitted to Clemson and choose to enroll, you will be required to submit a final official high school and college dual-enrollment transcript (if applicable) to verify the grades entered on your STARS.
Enter each of your courses based on the credit earned rather than the actual length of time for each course. If the course is listed as .5 credit, enter the term as first or second semester. If the course is listed as one credit and only one grade is listed on your transcript, enter the term as all year. If two different grades are listed for a one-credit course, list both grades as a semester each. If a course is less than .5 credit, enter it as trimester (.33) or quarter (.25).
The STARS and your college applications
All first-year applicants are required to complete the STARS, regardless of application platform. You do not have to fill out the coursework section of the Coalition application as a requirement for Clemson University.
The coursework section of the Common App is part of the Common App profile and is therefore required for all schools that you apply to through the Common App. Students who apply through the Common App will have to fill out the coursework section to submit the Common App and will also have to complete the STARS to have a complete application file for Clemson.
How do I know if Clemson has received my STARS?
Your STARS must be submitted and linked to Clemson University for us to receive it. Once you have completed both steps, you will receive a confirmation message in the STARS system with a green checkbox and "Excellent!" at the top.
If the SRAR system shows a yellow caution sign and the word "Incomplete" next to Clemson University, you have not completed all the steps. If your STARS shows as submitted, but not linked, please visit your Clemson admissions portal, scroll down to the Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System section, and click the orange log-in button. This will allow you to link your STARS to Clemson.
It takes us approximately 24 hours to receive your STARS in our system. Please check your Clemson admissions portal the day after you submit and link your STARS. On your Application Checklist, "Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System" should be marked as Received. If it is not, you should return to the STARS to ensure that you have completed all the necessary steps.
