First-Year Honors Student Admissions Process

The Honors College offers Priority, General, and Late application deadlines for prospective students.

Priority Applications

Applicants who meet all Honors Priority deadlines are eligible for consideration for the National Scholars Program and Breakthrough Scholars Program.

Prospective students who start an Honors College Priority round application but are not able to complete it before Priority deadlines (including letters of recommendation) will be moved to the General round for consideration. If General round timelines are also not met, the application will be considered late. 

Application Decisions

Honors decisions will be released only to students who have received an admission decision from Clemson Undergraduate Admissions. Honors College Priority applicants who do not receive an Early Action decision from Undergraduate Admissions will not receive an Honors decision until the General Honors decisions are released.

Late Applications

Applications that are not submitted and completed by the General round deadline are considered late and may be reviewed on a space available basis. However, we cannot guarantee that such applications will receive consideration.

Late Honors applicants may be updated about their Honors status on a rolling basis after May 1. The incoming first-year student application will close on April 1.

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?

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 2025-26 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 Academic Record (SRAR)

Upload your SRAR 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 able reviewed as part of your Honors application.

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

Your Clemson admissions portal will continue to accept supporting materials through the end of the application cycle; however, these additional materials may not be considered once your application status is Awaiting Decision.

Other Supporting Materials

You have the option to upload up to two additional supporting materials (e.g., resume, writing sample, etc.) when you complete 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.