Frequently Asked Questions

The Graduate School does not set any deadlines, but individual departments may. Please contact the program you’re applying to for deadline inquiries.

Clemson University allows you to apply to more than one program, but you must submit a separate application for each program. All applications at Clemson are customized to meet the needs of each specific program and are not interchangeable between programs. After you’ve submitted and paid for your first application, you’ll go back in with the same UserID and password and start a new application for the second program you’d like to apply to. When you submit the second application, you’ll be prompted to pay another application fee. 

Clemson University Graduate School uses an online system called Admit. The application and support materials you upload can be reviewed by the department as they are uploaded to the application or are received by the Graduate Admissions office. The department can view your materials as they come in, and can then act on your application accordingly. 

If your department requires a portfolio, and it’s in a form you can’t upload to your application, please send it directly to the department to which you have applied. If you are unsure of the departmental address, please go to the program contact list to locate the address.

Clemson University’s institution code for the GRE and TOEFL is 5111. We do not require a department code. Clemson University’s institution code for the MAT is 1707. The GMAT, IELTS, and PTE Academic do not require an institution code.

You must request official standardized exam score reports from the administering agency and have them submit your scores directly to the Graduate School. The appropriate institutional code for the GRE and TOEFL is 5111. We do not require a department code. Clemson University’s institution code for the MAT is 1707. The GMAT, IELTS, and PTE Academic do not require an institution code. Simply indicate Clemson University as the institutional recipient of your test scores.

Make sure that the names you used for your application match exactly the names on test scores. If they don’t, please contact us at grdapp@clemson.edu with the different names you used so we can reconcile them.

Please allow 1–2 weeks for official scores to be sent and for your application status to indicate that scores have been received.

No set minimum GRE/GMAT test scores are required. Each program uses test scores as one component of your whole application in a holistic review process.

To see competitive test scores for previously accepted students, visit the Graduate School’s Median Test Scores page.

Please visit our supporting materials page for information regarding application materials.

“Official” (or final official) transcripts are transcripts that are sent directly to Clemson University’s Graduate Admissions (Office of Graduate Admissions, E-209 Martin Hall, Clemson University, Clemson SC 29634) from the issuing institution. “Unofficial” transcripts are transcripts that have been opened by the student or printed from an institution’s student portal, or that do not yet reflect a graduation status.

Graduate Admissions accepts unofficial transcripts during the admissions process; you can upload those directly to the application. Official transcripts are required of applicants who are admitted and intend to enroll.

Clemson University’s Graduate School generally does not require transcript evaluations for international transcripts. However, we reserve the right to request an evaluation if we are not able to determine the degree equivalency or if we have questions about the institution. Individual programs may require transcript evaluations. Please review the requirements for the program you are applying to.

The “date completed” is the date your whole application package became complete. This means all of your support materials have been updated and are viewable by the department.

Review and decision time vary by department and depend on whether or not they have a committee review. Please contact your department to see where they are on their decision-making process.

Your official decision letter will be posted by the Graduate School to the Application Portal that you applied through 48 hours after a decision has been made on your application. You’ll receive an email notifying you that a decision has been made, and you’ll be directed to log into the Application Portal that you applied through. There, a PDF of the letter will be posted toward the top of the portal. You will not receive a hard copy version of this letter.

Clemson University receives scores from ETS electronically. If the status check indicates “awaiting,” your scores haven’t been uploaded into our system as of this date. Please continue to check back on your application status.

“Awaiting” status indicates that one or more support materials (references, transcripts, test scores) haven’t been received/uploaded yet.

An official decision letter will be posted by the Graduate School to the Application Portal that you applied through 48 hours after a decision has been made on your application.  You’ll receive an email letting you know a decision has been made.  You will be directed to log into the Application Portal that you applied through. There, a PDF of the letter will be posted toward the top of the portal.  

By following the instructions below, you can change or edit your recommenders’ information and send a reminder/request (note: you cannot change a recommender once they have started the form, but you can send a reminder):

• Go to the Application Menu.
• Click “Manage Your Account.”
• Log in with the email address and password you used for your application.
• Click “View All Forms” (if applicable).
• In the section for “Online Letters of Recommendation,” you can see who you requested and whether or not they’ve started their recommendation yet.
  • Look for the drop-down menu that says “Action.”
  • The two selections are “Edit/change this recommender” and “Send reminder.”
  • The first option allows you to edit the recommender’s name and/or email address. When you’re done editing, the original link is deactivated and a new email is automatically generated and sent using the new information.
  • The second option will send another email with the recommendation form link to the recommender.

For technical assistance with the online form, your recommender can contact CollegeNET, our application software vendor: lor_help@collegenet.com

Your recommender also may submit your letter via other channels:

• Hard-copy letters may be mailed to this postal address: Office of Graduate Admissions, E-209 Martin Hall, Clemson University, Clemson SC 29634.
• Digital documents may be attached to an email to grdapp@CLEMSON.EDU.
• The Graduate School’s PDF Form GSL — Recommendation for Graduate School Admission can be completed electronically or as a print document, and may be submitted as an email attachment or by regular mail.

In the Application Portal that you applied through where you view your decision letter, you will find a “Decision Form” button. Click on it to open and indicate whether you want to accept or decline Clemson University’s offer of admission. 

After confirming your intent to enroll, you will receive an email with your Clemson Student ID (XID#) and an activation code. This email will provide important instructions on how to log into Clemson University’s iROAR information-management system, access your username (created by the University), and create your secure password.

Please visit the New Student To Do List for tutorials and a step-by-step checklist of things to do before beginning your journey at Clemson University.

Additionally, the Registration Portal is a good place to gather information.

An admission status of “Accepted Provisionally” means that the admissions office does not have your final official transcript. Most likely, you were admitted based on your unofficial transcript(s), or you haven’t yet graduated or provided a transcript with your final date of degree on it. Provisional acceptance doesn’t prevent you from registering or enrolling in classes, but you MUST provide your final official transcript(s) or certificate(s) (starting with bachelor’s and including any subsequent degrees) to the Office of Graduate Admissions during your first semester enrolled at Clemson University.  A registration hold will be placed on all students who have not submitted final official transcripts during their first term. Read more on the Transcript FAQs page.

You are not officially accepted into Clemson University until you receive an official letter of acceptance signed by the dean of the Graduate School. When your department goes through the proper channels of acceptance and the Graduate Admissions office determines your admission status, an official letter will be posted to the Application Portal that you applied through.

If you’ve received an offer of admission from the Graduate School, you may defer enrollment for up to one year beyond the initial semester you indicated, pending approval from the program of study. A “Change of Term” form must be submitted by your program to the Office of Graduate Admissions in order to change the term you intend to enter. Please contact your program if you wish to defer your start term. Your application and supporting materials are valid for one year. Should you wish to defer your admission beyond one year of the initial semester you indicated, you must submit a new application, supporting documentation, and the prevailing application fee. If you’re an international student, you should notify International Services when your program has granted your admission deferral.

You may find more information on off-campus student services on the Division of Student Affairs Off-campus Student Services page and Clemson Online.

The Graduate School requires international students to provide proof of English proficiency as part of the admissions process. We accept results from the following tests: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, and PTE-Academic.

Information regarding exemptions to the English proficiency requirement can be found on the Clemson University English language proficiency exemptions page.

Visit the Conditional Language Admission page for complete information.

After you’re admitted and have confirmed your intention to enroll, International Services will email you with information regarding the I-20 and other visa-related information. Campus Life hosts helpful information on their international visas page.

A number of Clemson University’s doctoral programs are direct-entry, so you don’t have to hold a master’s degree to enter the PhD program. For more info, visit the Graduate School’s academic programs page and click the “Direct Entry PhD Programs” tab.

No. For each applicant’s protection and under confidentiality laws, Graduate Admissions can only give information directly to the applicant.

Please send all inquiries to grdapp@clemson.edu or contact the department you are applying to directly.

If you’ve previously been a student at Clemson University or applied to Clemson University under a name different from the one you now use, then your previous name remains in the database. Please furnish a name change form to have your file updated. The University provides guidelines in the preferred names policy.

You need to contact the program to which you have applied to inquire why you’ve been denied admission. If you wish to appeal the decision, guidelines to the appeal process are available in the Graduate School Policies & Procedures handbook.

Office of Graduate Admissions
E-209 Martin Hall
Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634

Electronic checks take two weeks to clear and, until they do, your application is not available to the Graduate School or your department for review.

For a list of online graduate programs, please visit https://www.clemson.edu/graduate/academics/off-campus-programs.html. For news from the online programs division, visit the Online homepage.