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GAANN Fellowships

Grad StudentThe Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has received federal grants from the US Department of Education through the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellowship Program. This program supports exceptional electrical and computer engineering doctoral students who demonstrate financial need.

Each Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellow will receive three years of federal fellowship support and two years of departmental support. The fellowship includes a supervised teaching training component that will provide GAANN Fellows with experience that they may choose to leverage in pursuit of an academic career. The project is designed to help address the nationwide decline in US enrollment in doctoral programs in ECE. Consideration for a GAANN Fellowship is open to any US student who plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree in ECE at Clemson. Recruitment of students from traditionally underrepresented groups is intended to boost the participation of students from these groups in the ECE Ph.D. program and encourage their selection of academic careers.

Application Requirements for GAANN Fellowship in ECE

All requested submissions, including GPA measures, must be submitted by March 7, 2022. NOTE: Students who complete these requirements earlier may receive early consideration for a fellowship.

  • Must be a US citizen or permanent resident to apply for a GAANN Fellowship.
  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2020-2021 academic year.
  • Completed an application to the Ph.D. program in either computer engineering or electrical engineering at Clemson.
    —OR—
    Enrolled in the Ph.D. program in either computer engineering or electrical engineering at Clemson.
  • Cumulative undergraduate GPA must be at least 3.30. 
    —OR—
    Cumulative graduate GPA must be at least 3.50.

Facts about GAANN Fellowships in ECE at Clemson University

GAANN Fellowships are need-based. The financial need of each GAANN Fellow is determined each year by the Clemson University Financial Aid Office based on the information provided in the Fellow's FAFSA submission for the year.

Each GAANN Fellowship recipient receives a stipend to cover the Fellow's financial need and is guaranteed five years of financial support at the Fellow's annually assessed level of need, subject to standard conditions (such as satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. degree). The fellowship funds are derived from US Department of Education funds and Clemson University funds. Each recipient's assessed need is different, but a typical stipend is $34,000 per calendar year. Clemson's ECE GAANN program pays the Fellow's tuition. Recipients are provided with at least one year of training in teaching at the university level.

GAANN Fellowships are awarded without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disabling condition. US citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply for a GAANN Fellowship.

Each GAANN Fellowship application will be judged in part on the applicant's demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity in the field of electrical and computer engineering (as evidenced by the applicant's response to the corresponding question in the application). The application will also be judged partly on the applicant's demonstrated commitment to pursuing a career in either research or teaching after completing the Ph.D. program (as evidenced by the applicant's response to the corresponding question in the application).

To discuss an application for a GAANN Fellowship in ECE at Clemson University, please contact Harlan Russell, Graduate Program Coordinator, at harlanr@clemson.edu.

Please follow this link to download and complete the current GAANN Application.