Prospective Students

Please note that we are not accepting applications for Fall 2023 beginning in the doctoral program.

Admissions

Applications should be received by Jan. 15. Every required item supporting the application must be on file by that date for full consideration. The department will communicate admissions decisions to students by March 15.

A personal, on-campus interview is strongly recommended, but if it is not practical, a telephone interview is also acceptable. Interviews will be arranged by the graduate programs committee and conducted by faculty members active in the respective area of interest.

In general, applicants for the Ph.D. program are expected to have a master's degree with at least a 3.2 grade point average and score at or above the 50^th percentile in each section of the GMAT (quantitative and verbal) or GRE (analytical, quantitative, and verbal). However, recent admissions have been highly competitive, with GMAT or GRE scores above the 75^th percentile.

The following documents, all of which can be uploaded directly to your application, are needed to complete the application.

Personal statement:
Make sure to address the following two questions:

• Why do you want to pursue a graduate degree in your chosen field of study?
• Why do you want to pursue a graduate degree at Clemson University?

Resume/CV:
You can upload a digital-file resume/CV directly into the application. A sample resume and helpful tips can be found on Clemson's Center for Career and Professional Development website.

Letters of recommendation:
On the application, you will be asked to provide the names and emails of each recommender. Once you click "Submit Recommendation Request," an email will be sent to your respondents. This email will inform your recommenders how to complete the online letter of recommendation. To ensure receipt of this email, please inform each recommender about this email before the submission of your application. If, after a reasonable amount of time, your recommenders have failed to do the online recommendation, you can go back to the application and remind them. You can leave them a note, and another email will be sent to the provided email address. If your recommender prefers not to use the online form, they can download and print the letter of recommendation form on the Graduate School website under the "Letters of recommendation" heading.

If you or your recommender has technical difficulty with the online letter of recommendation system, please contact CollegeNet directly, or you may call CollegeNet at 503-973-5213. You will need to provide CollegeNet with your User ID and/or the applicant's or recommender's name.

Transcripts:
Official transcripts are only required of those applicants who are offered admission. A copy of your unofficial transcripts from each institution of attendance in which degrees have been awarded or will be awarded should be attached to and submitted with the online application for admission. You may also include any additional coursework that may be relevant to the graduate degree you wish to pursue at Clemson University.

After admission, Clemson University must receive final-official transcripts in a sealed envelope from the issuing institution. The title of the degree earned and the date awarded must be noted to be considered a final official transcript. Official certificates or diplomas in sealed envelopes from the issuing institution should accompany any transcripts that do not note the degree earned and the date awarded directly on the transcripts. Graduate Admissions will not accept faxed copies of transcripts as official.

An English translation of all transcripts is required. Translations are accepted from the issuing institution or translations provided by any NACES-recognized credential evaluation service. For a list of NACES-recognized evaluation companies, please visit the NACES website. Some do not provide translations. Two NACES-recognized companies that do provide transcript translations are Spantran (Email requests for translations/verifications.) and Josef Silny and Associates, but you are welcome to use any NACES-recognized company. Clemson does not endorse any particular company.

Required tests:
Please note that not all tests are needed. You only need to have one of the GMAT or GRE, and for international students without a previous degree from an English-speaking university, one of TOEFL (minimum 94), IELTS (minimum 7), or PTE Academic.

Tuition and Fees:
The Department offers financial assistance packages to all doctoral students in the form of graduate research or teaching assistantships. Research and teaching assistantships provide a generous stipend, a tuition waiver, and a significant fee reduction. Ph.D. students may be offered assistantships for four or five years (depending on their background) subject to an annual evaluation of satisfactory progress.

About Clemson

"The City of Clemson is a university town (population 16,000) that provides a strong sense of community and a high quality of life for its residents. University students add to its diversity and vitality. The City is dedicated to providing a quality living environment for all its residents by ensuring a balanced, compatible, and healthy mix of residential and commercial development while preserving and improving its natural resources and promoting its image as a desirable, visually attractive, safe, and economically stable residential community. The City actively seeks cooperation with its neighbors to ensure the fulfillment of its vision."

As indicated in the vision statement of the City of Clemson, living in Clemson is quiet, secure, and enjoyable. The City of Clemson is a small city with friendly and generous people. You can feel at home the moment you step into the city. The well-developed police system in Clemson makes life here safe. There are many parks in which you can go and take a walk. South Carolina Botanical Garden is one of the best. You can find thousands of different kinds of plants, both exotic and domestic.