First-Year Clemson Honors Students
The Honors College offers Priority, General, and Late application deadlines for potential students.
Applicants are eligible for consideration for the National Scholars Program and Breakthrough Scholars Program if they meet all Honors Priority deadlines.
Honors decisions will be released only to students who have received an admission decision from Clemson Undergraduate Admissions. Honors College Priority applicants who receive a deferred Early Action decision from Undergraduate Admissions will not receive an Honors decision until the General Honors decisions are released.
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Honors Application Schedule and Deadlines
| Priority Deadlines | |
|---|---|
| October 15 | Undergraduate Admissions Early Action application submission deadline |
| October 22 | Honors Priority application deadline |
| November 1 | Honors Priority materials deadline; Undergraduate Early Action materials deadline |
| Mid-January | Honors Priority decisions released |
| General Deadlines | |
| January 1 | Undergraduate Admissions Regular Decision application submission deadline |
| January 8 | Honors General application deadline |
| January 10 | Undergraduate Regular Decision required materials submission deadline |
| January 15 | Honors General materials deadline |
| March 7 | Honors General decisions released |
| Late Applications | |
| April 1 | Undergraduate Admissions application deadline, Undergraduate required materials deadline, Honors Late application deadline, Honors Late required materials deadline |
| Rolling after May 1 | Honors Late decisions released |
Potential students who start an Honors College Priority round application but are not able to complete it before the Priority round deadline will be considered a General round applicant if General round deadlines (as well as Clemson undergraduate application Early or Regular Decision deadlines) are met.
Applications completed between January 15 and April 1 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.
2025 First-Year Admission Process
Why Clemson Honors?
The Honors College provides many opportunities and experiences to help you thrive during and beyond your time at Clemson – enhancing your undergraduate experience and strengthening your academic, personal, and professional development.
As an Honors student, you have exclusive access to Honors courses and seminars, as well as expanded research and program opportunities that aren't necessarily related to your major – broadening your perspectives in ways that many of our students say create their most valuable Honors experiences.
In addition to individualized access to Honors facilities, faculty, and courses, you become part of a community that intentionally nurtures friendship, support, and success through options that range from mentorship by peers and leading Clemson faculty to incredible experiential learning opportunities.
How to Apply
Admission to the Honors College is highly selective. Through their high school activities, application essays, and other application materials, successful applicants will show clear evidence of intellectual engagement and vision as well as community engagement and leadership. The Clemson University Honors College selects the best candidates through a holistic review of Honors applications.
Your application to the Clemson University Honors College is separate from (and in addition to) your undergraduate application.
After you submit your first-year undergraduate application, you will receive access to the Honors College application in your Clemson admissions portal if you selected “Honors Interest” while completing your undergraduate application.
You can also scroll to the bottom of your Clemson admissions portal to find the section that asks if you have interest in applying to the Honors College.
Before you apply, you are welcome (but not required) to sign up for a visit to the Honors Center, where you will meet Honors staff, tour our facility, and meet current Honors students.
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.
We're Here to Help!
If you have any questions after reading this guide to the application process, please email honors@admission.clemson.edu.
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Completing the Application (Step 1)
The Honors College application consists of:
- Two required essays
- An involvement and activities section
- An awards section
- Two letters of recommendation (submitted as required materials in Step 2)
The Honors application is available to students within 24 hours via their student portal when applying to Clemson via the Clemson Application and after August 15 to students applying through the Common App.
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.
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Submitting Required Materials (Step 2)
Watch your admissions portal for ongoing application updates, including a checklist of outstanding required materials.
Required materials include:
Standardized Test Scores
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.
If you applied to Clemson University via the Common Application, please use the Common Application recommendation system to send your recommendation letters to Clemson University.
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 support 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.
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Fall 2025 Enrollment Essay Prompts
Fall 2025 essay prompts are in your Clemson Honors application.
Essay 1 (650 word limit, Required)
Tell us about your academic interests and professional goals (to the extent that you have identified them at this point). What experiences, talents, accomplishments, and/or characteristics inspired and contributed to these goals? What avenues have you explored to learn more about this or to gain experience in this area to date? [Note: This is your opportunity to tell us who you are as a thinker. Please focus your essay on you, your experiences, and your ideas, not on what the Honors College or Clemson offers.]
Essay 2 (650 word limit, Required)
The second essay is based on your response to one of the Common Application essay prompts.
If you have already written a response to one of these prompts in your Common Application, that response is considered your second Honors application essay. If one is not on file, you are required to submit a response to one of the seven prompts.
Essay 3 (650 word limit, Optional)
Please use this space to share any special circumstances affecting your application that warrant consideration by the selection committee.
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Admissions Portal
You can verify receipt of ALL of your Honors application materials by reviewing your Clemson admissions portal. This information is available to you immediately upon submission of your Honors application.
Remember to keep track of your username and password and to watch your Clemson admissions portal for your decision notification!
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What is the Size of the First-Year Honors Class?
First-year enrollment in the Honors College is limited to approximately 350-400 students, less than ten percent of the first-year class.
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Appeals
A link to the Honors admission appeal form will be provided to you in your Clemson admissions portal.
Priority Honors Appeal Timeline February 16 Priority appeal submission deadline mid-March Priority appeal decision notification General Honors Appeal Timeline March 23 General appeal submission deadline April 15 General appeal decision notification -
Application Tips
Being proactive and prepared will help ensure that your application is complete and ready for review. Other tips include:
- Submit your Clemson undergraduate application early to give yourself time to also complete your Honors application.
- Before the end of the undergraduate application, you will be asked if you are interested in applying to the Honors College. If you are, select "yes" in order to gain access to the Honors application after you submit your undergraduate application.
- Ask for recommenders early! We recommend you submit your recommenders' contact information as soon as you access the Honors College application.
- Pre-write your essays, involvement, and awards sections in advance using a word processing application. Proofread your essays many times, use spell check, and have others review them as well.
Above all, please take great care in reviewing your application before you press submit. Neither you nor Honors College staff can make changes to your application once it is submitted. The only option is to upload additional, optional supporting materials.
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Financial Aid
Although many members of the Clemson University Honors College receive scholarships and/or financial aid from Clemson University, there are only a very limited number of scholarships specifically associated with membership in the College.
Moreover, the awarding of an academic merit scholarship from any source does not carry with it automatic admission to the Honors College.
For scholarship and financial aid questions, please contact Clemson's Financial Aid Office.
“Clemson’s culture, especially in the Honors College, promotes a well-rounded environment of research and socialization. Both of those were important to me from the beginning, so when I learned I could get them here, it was an easy decision for me.”
Terryn WitherspoonBiological Sciences Major ('23)
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Talk to one of our advisors about the Clemson Honors experience! Learn about program and class options, opportunities to work with world-class faculty, how we build an Honors community, living on Clemson campus – and most importantly, how our faculty and staff encourage our students to excel and reach their fullest potential.
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