Admissions FAQ

Every application submitted before the deadline receives a full review by the graduate committee. Applications submitted after the deadlines are considered on a rolling basis, depending on available funds and space in the department. All materials for the review process should be submitted electronically, with applicants able to check their application status using the online status check. International applicants must also consider any Office of International Services deadlines that relate to I-20 issuance.

Deadlines

• Fall Enrollment
  
  • February 1 is the priority deadline.
  • Applications may be submitted after February 1 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until May 1. Any application received after May 1 will be evaluated for Spring enrollment.
• Spring Enrollment
  • October 1 is the priority deadline.
  • Applications may be submitted after October 1 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until November 1. Any application received after November 1 will be evaluated for Fall enrollment.
• Summer Enrollment
  • Students are only admitted to a summer term under special circumstances (e.g., recruited students with assistantship offers when agreed upon by the student and their faculty advisor). Any other student who applies for a summer term will be evaluated for Fall enrollment.

Application Fee

Applicants for Summer 2023 and beyond: There is no fee to apply to graduate programs at Clemson University.

Interested applicants should refer to the Graduate Admissions website to find a link to the application, information on required supporting material, and admissions Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Please carefully review this information before you apply – most of the information related to applying to a graduate program at Clemson University can be found on the admissions page.

• Upload unofficial transcripts from each institution you have attended or are currently attending. Official transcripts are only required if admission is awarded.
• A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation (online is recommended, but hard copy recommendations are accepted by graduate admissions).
• TOEFL - International Students only, Only official scores will be reviewed, Clemson Institution Code = 5111
• Statement of purpose
• Resume
• GRE - Scores are not required but may be submitted, Clemson Institution code = 5111

All required documents should be submitted electronically during the application review process. Any additional application materials can be uploaded into your application portal. If accepted, official transcripts should be mailed to the Graduate Admissions Office Clemson University E-209 Martin Hall, SC 29634 USA.

Application Review Process

Please review the Preparing to Apply- Supporting Materials page for helpful tips on writing your Personal Statement, CV and resume samples, recommendation requests and more. You will also find the minimum score requirements for admissions.

Important Information Regarding the Application

To help ensure your application gets the attention of the most relevant area of ECE specialization, applicants are strongly encouraged to:

1. Indicate the specific research area of specialization you prefer for the graduate program. Please use the name of one of the major focus areas listed here as the major specialty area desired.
   • Computing and Communications
   • Energy Systems
   • Intelligent Systems
   • Photonics, Electronics and Quantum Systems
2. If you have had prior and significant communications with current ECE faculty, please indicate this in the personal statement section of the application.

Test Score Requirements

The ECE department does not have a minimum GRE, TOEFL or GPA; our application review committee looks at all parts of the application to determine if you have the educational background to be successful in our program. Please note that you may include unofficial or official GRE scores in your application file if you believe it will strengthen your application. Your chances for admissions or assistantships will not be impacted by not including GRE scores.

Language Proficiency Exams for International Students

TOEFL iBT: A satisfactory score (80 or higher) is required of international students whose native language is not English. Clemson's institution code is 5111. TOEFL iBT scores are valid for two years.

TOEFL Essentials: A satisfactory score (8.5 or higher) is required of international students whose native language is not English. Clemson's institution code is 5111. TOEFL Essential scores are valid for two years.

Duolingo English Test: A satisfactory score (115 or higher) is required of international students whose native language is not English. Duolingo English Test scores are valid for two years.

IELTS: Can be taken in lieu of TOEFL. A satisfactory score (6.5 or higher) is required of international students whose native language is not English. IELTS scores are valid for two years.

PTE Academic: Can be taken in lieu of TOEFL. A satisfactory score (54 or higher) is required of international students whose native language is not English. PTE Academic scores are valid for two years.

Note: Our program has very high expectations of our applicants. You can view Clemson's minimum English Language Proficiency requirements for Graduate Admissions.

Each student admitted into the ECE graduate program is evaluated for available financial support awards. Priority is given to Ph.D. applicants. M.S. students are typically self-paying, meaning they will not be awarded any type of assistantships/fellowships. Most of the opportunities for financial support of an admitted student are committed months before the start of the semester in which the student will enter the program.

The 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.

• GAANN Fellowships
• Graduate Funding Opportunities
• Leaders at Clemson - External Funding

Graduate Assistantship: Financial aid is prioritized for Ph.D. students. For our M.S. students, you can search for other jobs or assistantships on campus. Clemson University offers a wide variety of financial aid and references to external funding resources for graduate-level students.

Research Assistantship: If you are interested in a research assistantship, contact faculty members directly whose research interests you. Each faculty member has the freedom to make RA offers to students who best fit their research needs. Not all faculty members have available funding, and not all students will fit the faculty member's needs if funding is available. Please keep this in mind as you are emailing faculty members.

Please visit our faculty and research pages for more information about research opportunities within our department.

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.

Yes, keep in mind that you will be required to meet specific undergraduate prerequisite courses in order to earn a graduate degree in EE or CPE if you are admitted to the program. These undergraduate requirements may be found in Prerequisite Requirements.

You are assigned an initial academic advisor if a decision of acceptance is made on your application. After you arrive on campus and become more familiar with our faculty, you will have an opportunity to communicate with the faculty member who you would like to be your permanent academic advisor. If the faculty member agrees to be your advisor, you will work with this person to complete your advisory committee.

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. The admissions committee usually begins evaluating the applications for the Fall semester in January. A thorough evaluation of all applications requires significant time.

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

For the appropriate paperwork to be filed, you must indicate your decision to attend Clemson. You will then be asked to submit official transcripts.

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