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CU Honors College

Honors College Grants

Supporting Experiences Outside the Classroom

Some of the most valuable educational experiences can come from outside of the classroom, where students apply their learning to a new place, situation or work setting.

Clemson Honors offers meaningful opportunities that support personal growth, academic development and career exploration — while empowering students to shape their own paths through hands-on learning. Honors grants help Honors students turn those goals into action and make the most of all that Clemson has to offer.

The Honors College offers two grant programs that specifically support student development activities outside the classroom:

  • Honors Personal Development Grants
  • Honors Experiential Learning (ExL) Grants

Student standing beneath stone arch covered with vines at Moor Farms Botanical Gardens.

Grant Program Options

Personal Development Grants

Personal Development grants help Honors students develop new interests, focus on their well-being or serve their community. Grants of up to $500 may be used to pay for offerings or opportunities that are not available through Clemson. 

Examples can include:

  • Assisting an elementary school with their nature trail
  • Earning a CPR certification 
  • Helping their hometown with a community garden
  • Guitar lessons

 

A student looking at a flight simulator program on a laptop screen in his home.

Experiential Learning (ExL) Grants

Honors ExL grants are designed to enhance students' academic, professional, and/or career goals. Students can apply for ExL grant funding to support:

  • Internships
  • Professional development
  • Research
  • Community engagement related to the student's academic/career goals

Activities can include overseas trips for pre-med students to gain clinical experience, a political science student interning with the U.S. Supreme Court, or a student conducting research in a location away from Clemson University and Upstate South Carolina. 

ExL grant amounts can range from several hundred dollars to a maximum of $3,000, with most being awarded for between $500-1,500. These grants are intended to support research or service projects requiring travel, unpaid out-of-town internships or research abroad. Some paid internships also qualify depending on the location and the salary amount.

Proposals receiving the maximum amount of funding are often those that describe immersive international learning opportunities or are four or more weeks in length, highly competitive in the student’s field of study or demonstrate a high level of leadership.

Priority for funding is given to experiential learning opportunities that are unique and competitive experiences. Some applications may receive partial funding, depending on the proposed budget, reasonableness of expenditures and availability of funds.

In cases where students are pursuing more than one opportunity, Honors staff are available to discuss the best options for applying for a grant. Questions? Email melisso@clemson.edu.

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How to Apply

Apply Online

Apply through the InfoReady portal. Please note that the InfoReady application is not compatible with the Safari web browser. For the best experience, access the application using an alternative browser, such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge.

Login using your Clemson credentials and then select the link to the appropriate grant application for which you are interested.

Application updates will be provided through the InfoReady portal.

  • Outline Your Proposed Experience

    Complete the online application form with as much detail as possible and upload the program/internship/research experience acceptance or offer letter (or email) where it asks for Verification of offer.

    Students who have not have received acceptance regarding their proposed experience before the application deadline may describe an opportunity they hope to pursue (to which they have applied). Students will be able to indicate that they do not have verification of offer at this time and will be given instructions about uploading it once it has been received. In such cases, applications should be as specific as possible. If the award is granted, students must add their program acceptance document into their application portal before funding can be approved.

    Students will need to download, complete and upload an Honors Grant Budget Proposal document for their application. This document is available in the “Supporting Documents” section of InfoReady. Budgets are to be as accurate as possible, derived from the student’s research of the proposed location and what they will need, including transportation costs and lodging.

  • Recommenders (ExL grants only)

    Students must ask a Clemson faculty or staff member to serve as a reference, and once their application is received, an email will be automatically generated for the faculty member to complete a reference form. It is important that the faculty member be knowledgeable about the student’s proposed experience.

  • Expenses Outside of Grant Parameters

    Certain experiences are not eligible for funding, such as:

    • Credit-bearing experiences
    • Experiences that the student cannot adequately justify as consistent with academic or career aspirations (ExL grants)
    • Faculty-led programs
    • Expenses without valid receipts
    • Experiences that provide adequate compensation and/or housing for the student

    Experiential Learning grants also cannot be used to cover:

    • Tuition at Clemson or another institution
    • Mileage to or from a destination
    • Clemson on-campus housing
    • Publication fees (note: these are often predatory publishers - the Clemson Library has excellent support to determine whether a publisher is predatory)
    Note: funding to support travel for a conference or to support a Departmental Honors project could be available through a Honors Conference Travel Grant or Departmental Honors Research Grants. 
  • What Application Reviewers Consider
    • Development: Is this experience related to research and service, or is it connected to personal growth?
    • Location: Is this experience local (close to home), or is it abroad? What is the cost of living in the location where this experience takes place (if funding for housing is requested)?
    • Length: How many days/weeks is this experience?
    • Impact: How reputable or well-known is this opportunity or experience? Will the experience prepare you to apply for other opportunities such as other grants, scholarships or fellowships?
    • Competitive: How selective is the proposed experience? How many people are selected for this opportunity every year? 

Program Eligibility

Applicants must be:

  • Members of the Honors College
  • Have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA at the time of application
  • In general, must have at least one full academic year remaining (after completing the proposed enrichment experience) before completing their undergraduate degree

Students may receive more than one award during their undergraduate Honors education; however, they may only receive up to $3,000 in ExL grant funds per year.

After Your Application Is Approved

Grant Deliverables

Students will be asked to share a reflection about their experience in the form of a poster, slide show or written product upon completion of their grant activities. Further requirements will be communicated via email once grants are awarded and communications with awardees is initiated.

We encourage recipients to list this grant and any relevant products on their resume as a reflection of their academic and professional development.

Reimbursement Information

Awarded grants are provided through reimbursement. In most cases, funds are not provided before the experience occurs and will be dispersed after receipts are submitted. If incurring the cost upfront and receiving reimbursement after the experience concludes presents a financial hardship, students can email Jenny Wirtz at jwirtz@clemson.edu for assistance.

Proposals that receive funding are required to register with Zelle in order to receive reimbursement of funds from the Honors College. Registering for Zelle allows Clemson Honors College to reimburse grant funds by putting the funds directly into your bank account.

  • Step 1. Set Up Your Zelle Account

    Visit Zelle to set up your account.

    After you tap the link above, choose your bank. Depending on what bank you use, the instructions may be different. With TD, for example:

    • Log into your online banking account.
    • Go to transfers and find the tab that says “send money with Zelle.”
    • Make sure you use your Clemson email with no “g,” and your personal cell number (not home) to register.

    If you do not have a bank that is listed, you will have to choose that option and provide more information than students who do have a bank listed.

    The part of the registration process that links you to Clemson is your email address. This enables Zelle to be used for money transferring. If you use a “g.clemson.edu” email address, drop the “g” when linking the email address to your bank.

    Questions related to setting up your Zelle account should be directed to their support number at 1-866-839-3488.

  • Step 2. Submit Your Receipts for Payment

    While you are away, keep track of your receipts. When you get back, you will need to upload your receipts to InfoReady for reimbursement.

    Uploaded receipts and accompanying materials will be submitted to the Honors College via InfoReady, and funds will be transferred to student’s bank accounts via Zelle or “Tiger Pay.” 

An Honors student talking to a man standing with his back to the camera. They are standing in the Honors College Great Hall and in front of the student's poster.