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Electrical and Computer Engineering

ECE GAANN Fellowship

Students holding tiger rag while on scaffolding at workThe 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 doctoral students in electrical and computer engineering 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 doctoral enrollment 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. Student recruitment is intended to boost participation in the ECE Ph.D. program and encourage students to select academic careers.

Facts about GAANN Fellowships in ECE

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 the US Department of Education and Clemson University. 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 receive at least 1 year of training in teaching at the university level.

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 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, in part, on the applicant's demonstrated commitment to pursuing a career in research or teaching after completing the Ph.D. program (as evidenced by the applicant's response to the corresponding question in the application).

GAANN Requirements

All requested submissions, including GPA measures, must be submitted in March.
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 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.

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