Admissions FAQ

We accept new graduate students in both the Fall and Spring semesters. For consideration for admission and financial support, students should have all application materials sent in by the following dates.

Application Materials Deadline for Ph.D.* Applications

Application Materials Deadline for M.S.** and MAC*** Applications

* The BDSI M.S., BDSI Ph.D., and DPA programs have separate deadlines, which can be found on the programs’ web pages.

** If you are interested in performance-based admission for the fully online M.S. program, you can find the enrollment deadline for the upcoming semester on the M.S. in Computer Science Coursera page.

*** Note the MAC program is Fall start only.

To apply to the School of Computing at Clemson, please visit the Graduate School application page. All application materials should be sent to graduate admissions. Please visit the individual program page for specific application requirements (i.e., portfolio for DPA MFA) that may apply to that program. All supporting material will be submitted electronically.

Students admitted to Clemson and who decide to attend can submit official transcripts to Graduate Admissions upon arrival on campus.

Application Review Process

Please review the Supporting Materials page for helpful tips on writing your Personal Statement, CV and resume samples, recommendation requests and more.

The Computer Science M.S., MAC, and DPA M.S. programs require official GRE scores. These scores should be sent directly from the ETS offices. For details on how to request official scores, please visit the ETS website. Our institutional ETS code is 5111. No department code is necessary.

GRE scores are not required for application to our BDSI M.S. or DPA MFA programs. For application to our Ph.D. programs, GRE scores are recommended, but not required.

Clemson University offers a wide variety of financial aid and references to external funding resources for graduate-level students.

Computer Science M.S., MAC, and BDSI M.S. Programs: MSCS, MAC, and BDSI M.S. students are not considered for funding opportunities within the School of Computing since funding is reserved for Ph.D. students. MSCS students are eligible to apply for hourly TA positions in their second semester, and MAC students are eligible after completion of the MSCS Ready modules. MSCS, MAC, and BDSI M.S. students are encouraged to use ClemsonJobLink, the Stem Opportunities database, and other external resources to search for possible funding opportunities.

Graduate Assistantship: Financial aid is prioritized for Ph.D. students. Graduate assistantships within the School of Computing are highly competitive. All applicants are evaluated for available positions as teaching assistants; there is no need for a separate assistantship application.

Assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis to qualified students, both domestic and international. All qualified students are considered for assistantships when applications are processed. Award decisions are based on academic records, test scores, statements of purpose, letters of recommendation, and availability of funds.

Digital Production Arts M.S. and MFA Programs: All DPA MFA and M.S. graduate students are considered for merit-based tuition awards at the time of application and may pursue hourly-based employment from on-campus units if admitted. However, all assistantships for the DPA MFA and M.S. students must be approved through the DPA Director prior to accepting employment.

The Clemson University Office of Student Financial Aid has all the resources needed for securing financial aid. Please visit the Financial Aid website for more information.

Fellowships: Fellowships are monetary awards that require no service or work from the student. Typically, fellowships are awarded on merit.

The Graduate School maintains a list of available fellowships on its website that includes information on many external fellowships.

The School of Computing lists Ph.D. Fellowship opportunities. Additional eligibility requirements may apply

The average processing time for graduate applications is 4-6 weeks from the application due date. You can track the status of your application using the information provided in your application confirmation email from the Graduate School at Clemson University. 

You will be notified by the Graduate School, not the School of Computing, as soon as a decision has been reached on your application. Due to federal privacy regulations, we cannot disclose admissions decisions over the phone.

Unofficial transcripts can be submitted. Once you have received acceptance to the program, you will be asked to submit official transcripts.

• Clemson Graduate School FAQ
• Clemson Graduate School New Student To-Do List