First-Year Honors Admissions

Within 24 hours of completing your Clemson undergraduate admissions application, the Honors application will become available in the Clemson admissions portal.

Students who apply to Clemson via the Common App between August 1 and August 15 will not have access to the Honors application until August 15. 

The Honors College application consists of:

• Two required essays
• An involvement and activities section
• An awards section
• Two letters of recommendation (submitted as required materials in Step 3)
• Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record (STARS - submitted as part of your Clemson first-year Undergraduate Admissions application)

Successful applicants show clear evidence of intellectual engagement and vision, as well as community engagement and leadership through their high school activities, application essays, and other application materials.

To be considered, please take great care in producing a thoughtful and well-written application. 

Essays

Write well-developed essay responses (650 words maximum each) for the required essay prompts. Essays constitute a critical part of your Honors College application. Thoughtful and original responses will provide the application reviewers with key insights into your accomplishments, intellectual curiosity, and vision.

Be genuine in your essay responses, highlighting personal insights and experiences, rather than merely listing your accomplishments. Use these essays as an opportunity to separate yourself from the competition - what makes you an ideal candidate for the Honors College? 

Fall 2026 essay prompts are listed in your Clemson Honors application, as well as below: 

Essay 1 (650 word limit, Required)

Tell us about your academic interests and professional goals (to the extent that you have identified them at this point). What experiences, talents, accomplishments, and/or characteristics inspired and contributed to these goals? What avenues have you explored to learn more about this or to gain experience in this area to date? Note: This is your opportunity to tell us who you are as a thinker. Please focus your essay on you, your experiences, and your ideas, not on what the Honors College or Clemson offers.

Essay 2 (650 word limit, Required)

The second essay is based on your response to one of the Common App essay prompts.

If you have already written a response to one of these prompts in your Common App, that response is considered your second Honors application essay. If one is not on file, you are required to submit a response to one of the seven Common App essay prompts.

Essay 3 (650 word limit, Optional)

Please use this space to share any special circumstances affecting your application that warrant consideration by the selection committee.

Involvement and Activities

Describe up to seven of the most significant leadership, service, work, learning, and/or enrichment activities (e.g., independent research or study, clubs, studies abroad, internships, employment experience, family or childcare, athletics, hobbies) in which you have participated in your high school career.

For each activity, you will be asked to provide:

• An overview of the activity
• Your time commitment
• Your leadership
• The impacts you have made

Awards

Describe up to five awards or recognitions you have received during your high school career that you regard as significant.

Review Before You Submit

Please take great care in reviewing your Honors application before submitting.

We are not able to edit your application after submission. The only changes you can make after submission are to upload additional, optional supplemental materials or to withdraw your application.

It takes approximately 24 hours to receive uploaded materials in our application system. Please check your Clemson admissions portal the day after you submit to verify receipt. 

Standardized Test Scores (if you choose to submit them)

Clemson is test optional. Applicants are not required to submit a standardized test score to be considered for admission for the 2026-27 academic year. If a student elects to have test scores included in the review of their application to Clemson, that will apply to the Honors College as well.

Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System (STARS)

Upload your STARS record through your Clemson admissions portal. 

Honors Recommendation Letters

Two letters of recommendation are required for your Honors College application to be considered complete. We strongly suggest that both be academic references, including at least one letter from a teacher who can speak about you as a student.

All recommendation letters submitted with your Clemson University Undergraduate application will be reviewed as part of your Honors application.

If you applied to Clemson University via the Common App, please select to share your letters of recommendation with Clemson University via the Common App recommendation system.

If you applied to Clemson University via the Clemson University or Coalition applications, you can upload your recommendations directly to your admissions portal. You or your recommender can also submit recommendations via your school’s system such as Naviance or SCOIR. Alternatively, you or your recommender can email your recommendation letters to honors@admission.clemson.edu.

The Honors Review Committee begins reviewing applications as soon as all required materials are received. Because of this, materials submitted after your application is marked complete are not guaranteed to be reviewed. Be sure to include everything you want considered — including optional items — before you submit. If substantial new materials become available after submission, you may email them to honors@admissions.clemson.edu with your full name and date of birth for potential consideration.

Other Supporting Materials

You have the option to upload up to two additional supporting materials (e.g., resume, writing sample, etc.) before you submit your Honors application. After your Honors application has been submitted, you cannot make changes to it; however, you can add up to three additional supporting documents. All supplemental materials submitted with your Clemson University Undergraduate application will be also reviewed as part of your Honors application.

Watch your email and admissions portal for ongoing updates about your Clemson Undergraduate Admissions and Honors applications. 

You will receive regular updates about outstanding required materials, such as recommendation letters, until all items have been received.

If you would like to appeal your Honors admission decision, a link to the Honors admission appeal form will be provided to you in your Clemson admissions portal.