clemson honors college essay

Clemson University Supplemental Essays 2022-23

Clemson essay prompts 2022-23.

Most of the top colleges and universities in the country require applicants to complete additional essays beyond the regular Common Application or Coalition Application essay. Clemson University , located in the Northwest corner of South Carolina, is no exception. The Clemson essay prompts help the admissions committee get to know applicants better. And, of course, they can see their writing ability firsthand. Furthermore, the admissions committee uses the Clemson essays to determine placement for their honors college. This makes those Clemson supplemental essays even more important!

In this guide, we will examine the Clemson supplemental essays, including the Clemson optional essay and the Clemson honors essays. Both essays are required for admission to the Clemson honors college. We’ll go over each of the Clemson essay prompts in detail. And, we’ll show you how to craft the best possible response to each one! In addition, we’ll provide some general tips for writing college essays that will help strengthen any application you submit, not just your Clemson application.

Clemson Essays: Quick Facts

• Clemson Acceptance Rate: 49%— U.S. News rates Clemson as a “more selective” school according to its 2022-2023 rankings.
• Common or Coalition Application Essay (Optional)
• Honors College Supplemental Essays (2 Required, 1 Optional) 
• Clemson University Application: Students can apply to Clemson via the Common Application , Coalition Application , or the Clemson Application . Students should have all materials ready before the application deadline. This includes Clemson supplemental essays and optional SAT/ACT scores.
• Early Action Deadline: October 15th
• Regular Decision Deadline: January 2nd
• Clemson University Essay Tip: The Clemson essay prompts require sustained time and attention. So, it’s important to start working on your Clemson supplemental essays early! Also, starting early will give you time to have your Clemson essays reviewed by your counselors, advisors, or other trusted editors.

Does Clemson require the Coalition essay?

No, it’s not technically required. One of the ways students can apply to Clemson is through the Coalition Application. However, there are no required Clemson supplemental essays when applying through the Coalition Application. 

Students can find the Clemson optional essay prompts on the Coalition Application website. In order to access the essay prompts, students must first create an account, then add Clemson to their college list . Even though the Clemson application does not require any Clemson essays, we recommend that students complete the Clemson optional essay anyway. A Clemson application that includes a well-written essay can stand out from the rest of the pool. In addition, students can use their Coalition essay prompt on their Clemson honors college application as one of their Clemson honors essays.

Does Clemson have supplemental essays?

Yes, Clemson does have supplemental essays. However, they are not required. In fact, the Clemson application does not require any Clemson supplemental essays. That being said, Clemson is a more selective school. Students should take advantage of the Clemson optional essays as part of either their Coalition or Common Application. Although not required, students can gain an advantage over other applicants by completing this Clemson optional essay.

The Clemson honors college application, however, does require students to complete two Clemson supplemental essays. Plus, students have the choice to share any additional details with the admissions committee in a Clemson optional essay. These Clemson supplemental essays help distinguish candidates for the Clemson honors college from other applicants. Even if you are not intending to apply for the Clemson honors college, it still helps to answer the Clemson essay prompts in order to help your application stand out . 

Clemson Honors College Essay Prompts

This next section will cover the specific Clemson essay prompts for the Clemson honors college. The first prompt is unique to Clemson. The second prompt asks students to complete one of the Common Application essay prompts. These questions are designed to help the admissions committee evaluate applicants for the Clemson honors college. So, it’s important to put your best foot forward when writing these Clemson supplemental essays.

We’ll take a deeper look at each of the Clemson essay prompts and talk about how to write each one. But first—take our college admissions quiz and see just how prepared you are to tackle the Clemson application!

Clemson Honors College Essay #1

Tell us about your academic interests and professional goals (to the extent that you have identified them at this point). what inspired these interests and goals what experiences, talents, accomplishments, identities, and/or personal qualities can you see influencing your college career and beyond.

The first of the Clemson honors college essays asks students to reflect on their academic interests and personal goals. In addition, the prompt asks students what inspired those goals and how those goals might influence their college experience and future career. Although these Clemson supplemental essays have lengthy prompts, the question often boils down to a very simple premise: What do you want to achieve with your education and why do you think this school is the place to achieve those goals?

In other words, this first prompt wants students to identify their goals and connect those goals to both their past experiences and their desires for their college education. For example, an aspiring engineer might talk about their time in their high school robotics club . Or, an aspiring journalist might describe writing a powerful story in their high school newspaper. 

No matter what your future goals are, articulate them clearly and show how you have already taken steps toward achieving them. Your Clemson honors college application is your opportunity to show the admissions committee what you have achieved and how those achievements will affect your future.

The second part of this Clemson honors college application essay gives students the opportunity to explain how being a part of the Clemson community will help them achieve the dreams they mentioned earlier in the essay. Strong Clemson supplemental essays will show evidence of research into the college. Naming specific majors, programs, study abroad trips, or internships in your Clemson honors essays shows the admissions committee that you have researched the school. This, in turn, illustrates why you would be a good fit for Clemson and why Clemson would be a good fit for you!

Clemson Honors College Essay #2

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..

The second of the Clemson essay prompts is not unique to the Clemson honors college application. Students have the choice to submit a response to any of the seven essay prompts from the Common Application. Although these are not specific Clemson essay prompts, they do help the admissions committee get to know you better. That means that your response should be well thought out, carefully edited, and full of reasons why you would be a good fit for Clemson. 

If you have used the Common Application to apply to other schools, you may already have an essay written that would fulfill the Clemson honors college requirements. However, it is important that you choose a prompt for the Clemson honors college essay that highlights your best qualities and achievements. You may even need to edit your existing essay to make sure it showcases your qualifications for the Clemson honors college.

Choosing a topic

When selecting a topic for your Clemson supplemental essays, there are many options. Each of the Clemson essay prompts asks about different aspects of a student’s academic or personal life. And, none of the prompts are given any more weight than the others. Therefore, you should choose the topic that you resonate with the most. Before sitting down to actually write this essay, narrow down the list of topics. Do this by identifying the ones that you can tie to your interests and experiences. Then, once you have narrowed down your list, create outlines of a few different Clemson essay prompts. Finally, decide which one you feel best about.

The most important aspect of your Clemson essays, and your overall Clemson application, is that they showcase you as an individual. Your Clemson essays should include specific details about your life and experiences. Avoid vague statements, like “I always strive to do my best in class” or “My work in the community means a lot to me.”  Instead, use more specific sentences that could only have been written by you. There is no single formula for writing perfect Clemson supplemental essays. The best thing that you can do is showcase your individual strengths.

This section of the Clemson essays is so closely related to the Common Application personal essay. Therefore, you may benefit from additional resources related to the Common Application personal statement. Our blog has several example personal statements that can give you inspiration for writing your own. In addition, you can check out our essay guides for more tips on writing any college essay, including the Clemson supplemental essays.

Optional Clemson Essay Prompt

Please use this space to share any special circumstances affecting your application that warrant consideration by the selection committee..

The Clemson honors college application also includes a Clemson optional essay. The prompt for this Clemson optional essay is vaguer than the other two required prompts. It asks students to share any special circumstances or life experiences that have affected you or your Clemson application. There are many possibilities for what to write about relating to this topic. But, it should be used to talk about something new rather than something you have already discussed. 

Not every student will need to complete this Clemson optional essay. But, if you have any extenuating circumstances that might benefit from some context or explanation, this may be the place to give it. For example, you may not have many extracurricular activities because you spend your time after school caring for younger siblings. This would be the place to explain how that responsibility has impacted your life and your application. Or maybe you moved schools in the middle of your junior year and that transition affected your grades in a negative way. This Clemson optional essay can be used to explain that dip in grades. Whatever your circumstances, use this essay to show why you still make a strong applicant.

How hard is it to get into Clemson Honors College?

The Clemson honors college, otherwise known as the Calhoun Honors College, only accepts a select group of applicants each year. A total of 4,588 students enrolled in the first-year class at Clemson this past year. However, Clemson honors college only accepts around 400 students each year. This means that while the regular Clemson acceptance rate is around 49% , the Clemson acceptance rate for the honors college is less than 10% . 

U.S. News does not assign a specific Calhoun Honors College ranking. However, Clemson overall received a top-20 ranking for its co-op and internship opportunities, many of which are exclusive to honors college students. In addition, among public universities with honors colleges , the Calhoun Honors College ranking was third highest. It only ranked behind Purdue’s (#53) and the University of Maryland’s (#58) honors colleges.

Priority admissions deadline

Applications to the Clemson honors college must be submitted by November 1st in order to be considered for priority admission. Additionally, students must submit their regular Clemson application by the Early Action date of October 15th. That’s more than two months ahead of the Regular Decision Clemson application deadline. Along with the two required Clemson supplemental essays and the Clemson optional essay, students must also include two letters of recommendation with their Clemson honors college application.

Although admission to the Clemson honors college is extremely competitive, the benefits are great. Students in the Clemson honors college have access to special courses that other students don’t. In addition, honors students have access to special facilities and research opportunities both inside and outside their major. Students interested in applying to the honors college should start their applications early to complete all required materials by the deadline. See our resources on application deadlines for assistance on how to manage these tight timelines!

5 Tips on How to Write the Clemson Essays

Tops tips on writing the clemson essays, 1. start early and make a plan.

Students who begin their Clemson supplemental essays early have a much easier time completing them than those who start later on in the process. The Common Application opens on August 1st. So, students can get started with the Clemson essay prompts as early as then. Once the application opens, create a calendar so you can set aside time to work on your Clemson supplemental essays. Writing the essay gradually over several weeks helps prevent burnout and gives you a chance to refine your ideas.  Make sure you leave enough time to revise your Clemson essays after you draft them.

2. Brainstorm ideas before you start writing

It’s tempting to start writing the essay as soon as you see the Clemson essay prompts. But, brainstorming can really help improve your Clemson essays in the long run. A good place to start with any of the Clemson essay prompts is to write down a short list of adjectives that you want the Clemson admissions committee to associate with you! After that, you can write down events or accomplishments in your life where you have demonstrated these qualities and look for common themes that align with one or more of the potential essay topics. Then, when you’re ready to sit down and write your Clemson essays, you already have a bank of ideas ready to incorporate into your writing.

3. Make it about you

Many students find it uncomfortable to brag about or even write about their own accomplishments. However, the purpose of the Clemson essay prompts is for the admissions committee to get to know you. They can’t do that if you spend your essay talking about what other people have done. This doesn’t mean you can’t mention others’ names in your Clemson essays or that you should inflate your own accomplishments. Just try to use as many “I” statements as possible and focus the narrative on what you have done or experienced.

4. Use specific examples wherever possible

Good answers to the Clemson essay prompts will be full of specific details that can transport the reader into the writer’s life and mindset. You want your essay to contain information that allows the reader to get to know you personally. Instead of simply describing the events of an important game you played for your basketball team, let the reader know how it felt to score that game-winning basket and receive the MVP award. Instead of just describing yourself as a lover of community service, show the reader your devotion by sharing moments when you volunteered at your local homeless shelter. Your essay should not read like it could have been written by anybody. It should celebrate your unique experiences and passions.

5. Get help from trusted sources

Even though the primary voice of your essay should be your own, you can, and should, still get help with your Clemson application and Clemson essays from others. Trusted family members, teachers, counselors, and friends can help you develop your essay’s central ideas and make sure you are staying on topic. Try to find two or three editors that you trust and share your Clemson supplemental essays with them early on in the writing process to allow for multiple drafts and rewrites. Plus, if you sign up for CollegeAdvisor.com, you’ll get personalized essay suggestions from your advisor and our Essay Editing team to make sure you write as strong of a response to the Clemson essay prompts as you can.

Clemson supplemental essays and the admissions process

Writing the Clemson supplemental essays is just one part of the larger Clemson application process. Clemson reviews applications using a holistic process. This means there are a wide variety of factors the admissions committee looks for when reviewing each application. 

While your academic record, test scores, and grades are important data points in your application, the Clemson admissions committee knows that each applicant is more than just numbers on a page. In fact, the Clemson admissions website states , “We want to hear your story.” The Clemson essay prompts, therefore, give students the chance to provide context for the other parts of their application. Any additional information you provide gives the admissions committee more insight into who you are as a person.

Colleges like Clemson use essays to get to know candidates for admission beyond what they see in other parts of the application. For this reason, you should not use the Clemson essay prompts or the Clemson honors essays to restate your academic accomplishments or extracurricular involvement. Those already have a place in other parts of your Clemson application. 

Tell your story

Instead, use the Clemson essay prompts to tell a story about yourself that the rest of your application can’t tell! This is particularly important if you have potential red flags on your application, like a semester of poor grades in an otherwise good transcript. The Clemson essays give you a chance to tell the story behind the numbers and explain why you should be admitted to the school.

Because these essays are such an important part of any college application, it is important to take the time to do them well. Even with optional essays, like the Clemson supplemental essays, you should plan to work on and revise your essays over the space of several weeks or even months. You also want to tailor your essays to suit each college’s prompts. This will require taking the time to research each school to see what they are looking for in their applicants. 

Clemson Essay Prompts – Final Thoughts

As we have seen, the answer to the question, “Does Clemson have supplemental essays?” is “Yes!” However, unless you’re applying to the Clemson honors college, you do have the option to avoid the Clemson essay prompts. But, if you’re looking to make your application stand out amid the competitive Clemson acceptance rate, you’ll want to write those essays! Thoughtful responses to the Clemson essay prompts make a difference. Well-written essays improve your admissions chances, which is important given the competitive Clemson acceptance rate. Additionally, impressive Clemson essays could open the door to scholarship opportunities.

Therefore, regardless of whether you intend to apply to the Clemson honors college, we recommend that you include the optional Common Application personal statement along with your Clemson application. And if your GPA is high enough and you have a strong slate of extracurricular activities, make sure you complete the Clemson honors college application as well!

Writing top-notch college essays can be intimidating. We get it! If you need a little extra support with writing your Clemson essays, we’re here to help. Sign up for a CollegeAdvisor.com account to access personalized one-on-one advising with our experts. They can help you with your Clemson supplemental essays every step of the way. Plus, gain access to our vast library of webinars, essay guides, and additional resources whenever you want! Register here to get started!

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Clemson University Honors College for Fall 2024 Admissions

This is the official thread for those applying to the Honors College at Clemson University. List your unweighted GPA, any SAT/ACT scores, and ECs. What majors are you going into? Ask your questions, the CC community is here to help!

I understand decisions will be released in the next few weeks. Does anyone have any idea on when exactly the decisions will be released? I think they released February 1st last year but they changed it to mid Jan this year but am unsure.

Parent of boy/girl twins planning to attend out of state schools, with son headed to Indiana University, thus, the member name. However, daughter was recently accepted into Clemson Honors and was curious if admission to Honors College traditionally results in additional scholarship opportunities for her?

My daughter was accepted to honors. In state UW gpa 3.9 ACT 32 Plans to major in genetics with a plan to eventually be an ob/gyn

Hey, congrats to your daughter for getting accepted into honors! I was also accepted into honors at Clemson and offered a merit scholarship. There was an extra line in my normal decision letter to Clemson saying I received a scholarship and would know how much I would receive in March/April. The scholarship was not attached to my honors college decision, so read each line of the normal Clemson acceptance letter again and see if it says anything.

Much appreciated and congrats on the merit scholarship as well. Curious, if you don’t mind, what your stats were as I’ve read elsewhere merit scholarships at Clemson are very limited and while yours came with regular admission, the honors college scholarships are even more limited. My daughter is coming in with 3.9 UW GPA, 33 ACT and although EC likely didn’t have much impact on regular admissions, those likely helped with her Honors App review as she was quite active across many areas in HS. She plans to major in Business with intent to design an Entrepreneurship / Leadership focused curriculum where possible.

I’d be happy to. Here are my stats:

OOS (VA) 4.5/4.0 gpa, 3.9/4.0 UW, 1530 SAT 6 AP classes (most possible at my school) Volunteer EMT in grandfather’s rural Idaho town during the summer Elective research on rural healthcare access I play the piano and sing holiday tunes at nursing homes each Christmas Head of student-led a cappella group Head of chess club Piano lessons since Kindergarden School jazz band pianist and singer Varsity lacrosse and lifting Strong essays (I forget the exact prompts for Clemson but I wrote my common app on playing in a big piano concert with one hand because I broke the other wrist, my other essays were generally about cool stories from being an EMT and how I plan to use my research to help my grandfather’s town). Clemson was one of my safety schools. I’m probably going to go to UNC of Vanderbilt (accepted UNC, deferred Vanderbilt). I also want to go into medicine, specifically trauma surgery.

Your daughter has very similar stats to me. Assuming she has some solid extracurriculars, she should be in good shape. Good luck to her; with those stats, I know she will do great things and end up in the right place. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them.

Just trying to understand or see some light on why I was denied from Honors. I have a 4.72 weighted GPA, 4.0 weighted, 1400 SAT, work 2 jobs, I’m an eagle scout and do countless hours of community service through scouts and NHS. I do club DH mountain biking outside of school, played Unified Bocce for the school, 6 AP’s where I got three 5’s, two 4’s and one 3, 5 dual enrollment college classes. I also am bilingual (I’m white) and received the Seal of Biliteracy from the department of education in my state. I’m also apart of countless clubs, and had extremely strong letters of recommendation. In my essays I talked about how I went to mexico by myself at 16 years old for 3 weeks and how that changed my life. I applied early action and was deferred, then denied at regular decision. I appealed the denial using the reconsideration form, and was just denied again. I honestly think that they simply did not look at my application, because I am just thinking that there’s no way. Although I’m disappointed, I keep my head high I want to know what I can do so that when I apply next year, I can hopefully get in.

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How to Apply to Clemson University

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Amanda Poore, an Admissions Counselor at Clemson University, in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

Ways to apply, applicant portal, required application materials, test score requirements, application review process.

In this article, we discuss how to apply to Clemson University. If you’re looking for more information about Clemson, check out our blog post on Clemson admission stats . 

There are three ways for prospective students to apply to Clemson. The university accepts the Common Application and the Coalition App, but it also has its own institution-specific application. Students simply need to submit one of these applications, whichever works best for them. 

For example, if a student is applying to multiple schools that accept the Common App, using it to apply to Clemson would make the most sense. Clemson’s own application is very simple and easy to complete; it takes less than an hour from start to finish for most applicants. 

Once students have submitted their application, they will receive an email confirming that Clemson has received it and providing information on next steps. This email will also provide login credentials to Clemson’s applicant portal, which will function as a kind of best friend to applicants throughout their senior year of high school. The applicant portal is Clemson’s primary way of communicating with applicants, apart from email. 

The portal enables students to view their application checklist and the status of their application. When they eventually receive an admissions decision, it can be accessed on the portal. Once a student is enrolled at Clemson, this portal can be used for many self-service tasks, including changing their major.

For students applying to the Clemson University Honors College, that application is separate from those for the regular college, and it is accessed through the applicant portal. 

An important aspect of the Clemson application process is submitting the required academic materials. Clemson has a self-reported academic record requirement, which essentially takes the place of sending in a transcript for review. The information required includes courses taken, grades, and overall GPA. This self-reported information must be as accurate as possible, so students should refer to their transcripts while filling out this self-reported record.

For the 2023 admissions year, Clemson has a test-optional application. However, this policy may change in the future, so prospective students who are currently juniors are encouraged to keep in touch with the admissions office regarding the test policy. Of course, students should take advantage of testing opportunities, even if they’re only applying to test-optional colleges. 

Clemson employs a holistic application review process. There are no official minimum requirements to apply to Clemson because the school looks at each year’s unique applicant pool as a whole. However, admissions officers will be looking for competitive GPAs from applicants. 

Prospective students will be reviewed within the context of their specific learning environment. Students who come from schools with weighted GPAs or class rankings will have them taken into consideration. Admissions officers also want to see that applicants have challenged themselves throughout high school, such as by taking Advanced Placement (AP), honors, International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual-enrollment courses.

The choice of major also comes into play in the review process. There are a few majors at Clemson that are more competitive and have limited space, such as nursing, health science, sports communications, general communications, and architecture. Recent popular majors have included psychology—on both the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts tracks—biological sciences, business, and criminal justice.

If the admissions committee decides not to admit an applicant to their first-choice major, they will consider the applicant for their second-choice major automatically, so applicants should make sure to select a first and second choice of major when completing their application.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 10 best honors colleges and programs.

College Admissions , College Info

For students who are really set on enrolling in a quality honors program, it's important to learn about some of the best honors colleges before making that big decision. That's especially true because your honors program will dictate how difficult your classes are...and the perks you get from doing well in them!

We're here to help you get all the information you need about the top honors programs in the country so you can pick the program that's right for you. In this article, we'll:

• Explain what an honors college is
• Provide our research-based ranking of the ten top honors colleges and programs at U.S. colleges and universities
• Give you five tips for applying to top college honors programs

Ready? Let's dive in!

Feature Image: slgckgc/ Flickr

What Is an Honors College?

Honors colleges and honors programs are supplemental and/or alternative learning programs that undergraduate students can complete while pursuing a traditional bachelor's degree.

Honors colleges typically function independently within a larger university system, similar to the college of business or the college of arts and sciences at a big university. Additionally, honors colleges typically come with their own funding, facilities, faculty, course offerings, and perks for their students. In many instances, honors colleges can offer their students more rigorous educational opportunities since they serve fewer students and often have better funding than the bigger colleges within a university system.

College honors programs , on the other hand, function like an academic track. Eligible students can follow honors programs' guidelines to receive a more rigorous education and an honors distinction at graduation. At many universities, these honors programs are managed by individual departments. While honors programs aren't usually big enough to constitute a college within the university system, honors programs can still offer students the opportunity to take special courses and participate in extracurricular activities that aren't open to "regular" students.

If honors colleges and honors programs sound similar...that's because they are! They both give qualifying college students the opportunity to pursue a more challenging educational track and graduate with honors. Even more importantly, honors colleges and programs provide students with the opportunity to get an elite education at colleges and universities of all kinds.

While honors colleges across the U.S. are pretty similar in terms of their rigor and individualized attention, some honors colleges stand out from the rest . The best honors colleges support and reflect their universities' mission and identity, create ties to their community, and offer top-tier resources to support their students' career goals. Enrolling in an honors college can help set you on the path to long-term success.

If you're still curious about honors college and want to learn more, check out our introductory guide to honors colleges in the United States .

We considered many different factors, like academic rigor and funding opportunities, when deciding which schools to put on our list.

Our Methodology for Choosing the Best Honors Colleges

Now that you know a little more about honors colleges, it's time to look at the best honors colleges in the US. Here's our methodology for our honors college rankings.

To put together our list, we evaluated honors colleges based on admissions requirements, curricular and extracurricular program offerings, community, financial aid opportunities, and innovative approaches to the honors educational experience. The colleges that made our list offer rigorous coursework, tailored learning plans, excellent funding opportunities, and unique or out-of-the-box learning experiences.

During our research, we found that there are many different types of honors colleges and programs out there, and every honors college is unique. And you know what? That's a great thing! Every student is different, so our goal is to include a diverse array of honors colleges so you can find your perfect fit.

Now that you know how to navigate our list of the nine best honors colleges, let's look more closely at our picks for the ten best honors colleges and programs in the U.S.

Barrett College at Arizona State University tops our list of best honors colleges in the United States.

The 10 Best Honors Colleges

We've divided up our list of the ten best honors colleges into three main categories: the best honors colleges, best honors programs, and best affordable honors colleges.

The Best Honors Colleges

These are honors colleges that are stand-alone schools within a university. They can have the benefit of additional funding, school-wide extracurriculars, and sometimes even additional distinctions at graduation!

Here are the honors colleges that are at the top of PrepScholar's list.

Barrett College, Arizona State University

• Location: Tempe, Arizona

Barrett College, the honors college at Arizona State University, is a stand-alone college within the ASU system. Ranked #1 among honors colleges in the United States , Barrett College has a presence on ASU's four campuses in Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, and Glendale, Arizona

In the 2021-2022 academic year, Arizona State had an 88% acceptance rate, which means it's an accessible school for many students. Though Barrett College doesn't publicize its acceptance rate, it does provide other stats that can help prospective students know where they stand as applicants. For example, the average unweighted high school GPA of students admitted into Barret in 2021 was 3.81 . In terms of test scores, the average composite score on the SAT was 1347, and the average composite ACT score was 29. If your GPA and test scores are above average, you have a better shot at getting into Barrett.

Despite the large number of students attending Barrett College, honors class sizes are still small. In addition to offering a required sequence of signature honors courses (the central theme being "The Human Event"), Barrett College allows students to conduct research and thesis projects , has a private writing center for Barrett students, and offers many global internship, study abroad , and real-world service opportunities. Barrett College also provides quality housing facilities for the majority of its nearly 7,100 first- and second-year undergraduate honors students.

Barrett is nationally prestigious, and is among the top 20 universities in the US for recipients of the Fulbright fellowship . It's also the only honors college that has a Nobel Prize recipient teaching undergraduates.

Schreyer Honors College (SHC), Pennsylvania State University

• Location: University Park, Pennsylvania

Schreyer Honors College is Penn State's honors college. Considered one of the top honors colleges in the nation , Schreyer provides approximately 2,000 honors college "Scholars" with an educational experience that is dedicated to academic integrity, fostering a global perspective, and rich opportunities for leadership and civic engagement.

The acceptance rate to Penn State is about 54% , but the average acceptance rate to Schreyer Honors College is between 8-10% , making this one of the more competitive public university honors colleges. Another unique feature of Schreyer Honors College is it doesn't consider SAT/ACT scores or high school GPA as part of the application process . Instead, the Schreyer admissions committee is interested in the creative thinking and authenticity applicants demonstrate in their admissions materials.

Schreyer also offers an abundance of honors-specific courses for admitted students. In fact, Schreyer offers over 300 smaller-sized honors courses to its students , usually taught by senior faculty members. Schreyer students also have the benefit of access to priority registration and living learning communities (LLCs) in residence halls that primarily house honors students .

One stand-out offering at Schreyer Honors College is the Integrated Undergraduate Graduate (IUG) Program . The IUG program allows exceptional students to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees concurrently, or at the same time. Eligible students will be able to meet the requirements for this accelerated program by completing an honors thesis that meets both undergraduate and graduate standards and taking a series of cross-listed undergraduate and graduate courses. If you're interested in enrolling in an honors college and completing an accelerated graduate degree program, Schreyer could be a good fit for you!

Clemson Honors College at Clemson University offers honors students a rigorous academic experience. ( Spyder_Monkey /Wikimedia)

Clemson  Honors College, Clemson University

• Location: Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University's honors college is called Clemson Honors College. Clemson’s acceptance rate is 62%, and while Clemson Honors College doesn’t publish its admissions rates, it’s likely that getting in is more challenging. That’s because the honors college has more rigorous GPA requirements: the minimum required GPA for the honors college is a 3.7, but most students accepted to Clemson Honors College far exceed that minimum.

There are plenty of benefits to being an honors student at Clemson. Honors students receive priority registration, extended library privileges, and are eligible to apply for research grants to support their Departmental Honors research projects at the beginning of both the fall and spring semesters.

Another stand-out feature of Clemson  Honors College is the brand new Honors Residential College (HRC) facility , which includes housing and dining for honors students, administrative offices, a library, study rooms, classrooms, and a kitchen. These facilities are available exclusively to honors students, so you'll have the space you need to study (and have fun, too).

Clemson Honors College also offers many unique academic opportunities, including the highly selective EUREKA! Program . The EUREKA! Program invites 50 incoming honors freshmen (25 in person, 25 online) to participate in research projects over a five week period before the start of the fall semester. Many EUREKA! Program participants go on to receive elite scholarships and fellowships , such as the Rhodes, Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, and Truman scholarships.

Rutgers University Honors College

• Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey

The Honors College at Rutgers University is both a stand-alone school and a student living-learning community . The goal of the honors college is to blend the classroom and the community to create a transformative learning experience for its students.

The Rutgers acceptance rate is 67% , and while the honors college doesn't publish its admissions rates, it's safe to assume that getting in is more competitive. The test scores of accepted students reflect that idea: the median SAT score for the Honors College class of 2022 is 1530 (the composite SAT score for non-honors students is 1300).

Luckily for incoming students, there isn't a separate or additional application for the Honors College. The Honors College admissions committee uses the general Rutgers application to determine who will be admitted into the honors program.

Once admitted into the college, honors students have access to top-notch facilities and academic resources . The Honors College at Rutgers has its own state-of-the-art building, which is the hub for honors courses and seminars, research opportunities, an Innovation Lab, on-site academic advising, and lounges where honors students can build community and even get to know live-in faculty.

One of the best things about the Honors College at Rutgers is that all honors students receive a four year renewable scholarship . The Honors College also provides additional scholarship opportunities for study abroad, research projects, and even has an Honors College Student Emergency Fund for students who encounter unexpected financial hardship.

The University of Texas at Austin takes the top spot in our list of the best honors programs in the United States. (Kumar Appaiah /Flickr)

Best Honors Programs

The biggest difference between an honors college and an honors program is that honors colleges are stand-alone schools within the university system, and honors programs are not. For our list, we focused on finding the best university-wide honors programs in the United States.

Plan II Honors Program, University of Texas at Austin

Location: Austin, Texas

The College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin offers the Plan II Honors Program, which is an interdisciplinary arts and sciences major with a core curriculum. Unlike stand-alone honors colleges like the ones listed above, the Plan II Honors Program is housed within UT's College of Liberal Arts .

Sometimes called a "public Ivy," UT has a 32% acceptance rate. Plan II, however, usually receives around 1400 applications every year and only admits around 175 freshman honors students every fall. (In other words, getting into Plan II can be a little tough!)

Plan II Honors is a prime example of the difference between an honors college and honors program . As an honors program, Plan II Honors doesn't have its own housing, nor are its programs consolidated in one stand-alone honors college. However, Plan II does have its own scholarship and grant programs, study abroad opportunities, and student clubs.

A major perk of the Plan II Honors Program at UT is its flexibility. For students who are interested in double majoring, combining multiple UT honors programs, or even getting a second degree concurrently, Plan II Honors is a great choice. Over 70% of Plan II Honors students complete the requirements for a second, third, or fourth major , and close to 35% complete the requirements for a second degree. That makes the Plan II honors program great for ambitious students who are pursuing a more interdisciplinary course of study!

Echols Scholars Program, University of Virginia

• Location: Charlottesville, Virginia

The honors program at the University of Virginia (UVA) is called Echols Scholars Program. UVA's Echols Scholars Program is housed within the College of Arts & Sciences at UVA.

The acceptance rate to UVA is around 23%, making it one of the most competitive schools on our list. Luckily, all applicants to the College of Arts & Sciences first-year class are automatically reviewed for admission to Echols. Each new class of Echols students typically has approximately 200 students, so if you want to get into Echols, you'll need to make sure your UVA application stands out from the crowd .

The key value that defines the Echols is that students get the opportunity to shape the program. For instance, the Echols Council is a student-led governing body that represents Echols students and works with the honors program's administration to design and implement initiatives that give students the best learning experience.

Another unique opportunity that the Echols Scholars Program offers is the Echols Interdisciplinary Major . The Echols website explains, "The principle underlying the Echols Interdisciplinary Major is that no existing major, or combination of majors, fully satisfies a student's broader interests." This means that Echols students have the chance to create their own course of study that best fits their future career goals. If you want the chance to chart your own course in college, you may be a great fit for the Echols Scholars Program.

University Honors Program, the University of Kansas

• Location: Lawrence, Kansas

The University of Kansas Honors Program, which is more commonly referred to as "University Honors," is a campus-wide honors program open to students of all majors.

The acceptance rate to KU is about 91% , but acceptance to the University Honors Program is highly competitive. The average GPA for freshmen entering the honors program is 3.95, which is much higher than the average GPA of all incoming freshmen, which is 3.6. To get into the honors program, students have to apply to University Honors as part of the KU admissions application, which requires you to submit an additional essay and short answer response.

The University Honors program at KU is built on the concept of experiential learning . To graduate from University Honors, students are required to earn "Honors Experience" units by engaging in Enhanced Learning Experiences (ELEs) . ELEs at KU include opportunities in public service, cultural literacy and social justice, global citizenship, aesthetic engagement, professional development and social entrepreneurship, leadership, and research. Honors students can even propose alternative experiences of their own design to meet the ELE requirement.

Honors College, University of South Carolina

• Location: Columbia, South Carolina

The Honors College at the University of South Carolina is one of the larger honors college programs on this list, with roughly 2,300 students, but that doesn't mean they receive fewer resources. In fact, the honors college offers nearly 600 honors courses, as well as the option (only available to honors students) to design your own major. Average class size for honors college classes is only 16, so students there also get more one-on-one interaction.

The acceptance rate to the University of South Carolina is roughly 68%, with an estimated SAT midrange of1100-1300 and an estimated ACT midrange of 21 to 29 for South Carolina residents, and an SAT midrange of 1250-1400 and ACT midrange of 28-32 for nonresidents. For the honors college, the SAT midrange is 1410-1520, the ACT midrange is 32-34, and the average weighted GPA of admitted honors students is 4.77.

Honors college students benefit from additional perks like honors-specific living communities in particular dorms and strong financial aid packages. The Honors College at the University of South Carolina has also received the highest ranking among public school honors programs for the fifth straight time by the publication  Inside Honors.

An impressive 87% of Macaulay Honors College students graduate debt free! Beyond My Ken /Wikimedia

Best "Bang for Your Buck" Honors Programs and Colleges

If you're looking to get the most out of your educational dollars, you might consider enrolling in an honors college or program that offers financial assistance. Here are two honors colleges that can give you a top-tier education without breaking the bank.

Macaulay Honors College, City University of New York (CUNY)

• Location: New York City, New York

Macaulay Honors College is the independent honors college housed within the City University of New York (CUNY). Macaulay is affiliated with eight senior colleges within the CUNY system and has a presence on the following CUNY campuses: Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College, Hunter College, John Jay College, Lehman College, Queens College, and the College of Staten Island (CSI). And guess what? All of these campuses are located in New York City!

CUNY is pretty selective—the university's acceptance rate is about 51%. Macaulay itself is also competitive, offering just 520 seats to incoming students across all eight campuses each year. To apply to Macaulay, prospective students must submit a high school transcript, resume, two letters of recommendation, and two maximum 500 word essay responses.

While Macaulay scholars will spend most of their time studying at their home campus, they will have the opportunity to attend lectures, seminars, and even take courses at the other CUNY campuses in New York City. In fact, Macaulay makes learning about New York City a key feature of its honors education. To that end, Macaulay students receive free admission to hundreds of the city's cultural institutions, and participate in required honors seminars that use New York City as a teaching tool.

Besides its exceptional honors education, perhaps the most appealing thing about Macaulay Honors College is its financial aid package . Macaulay offers all of its students a merit scholarship package that includes tuition and a laptop computer, plus access to funding to support study abroad, research, and internship opportunities. Most impressively, 87% of Macaulay students graduate debt-free!

Macaulay's excellent academics—they even have a Nobel Prize winner on faculty— and its generous financial aid package makes it an excellent value. High-achieving students who have limited funds (but want to get a top-tier education!) should definitely consider CUNY's Macaulay Honors College.

The University of Alabama Honors College

• Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The honors college at the University of Alabama, which enrolled students call "UA Honors," is a stand-alone college within the larger University of Alabama campus.

Admissions into UA Honors is equally competitive : applicants must have a minimum ACT score of 30, minimum SAT score of 1360, and a 3.5 high school GPA or higher to get accepted to UA Honors. There is a fast track into UA Honors for certain students: National Merit Finalists and National Achievement Finalists are admitted automatically once they complete the honors application.

UA Honors offers admitted students tons of academic opportunities . One of the most prestigious is the Randall Research Scholars program , which is the first interdisciplinary research program in the United States. Randal Research Scholars learn how to combine computing skills with their academic interests to perform high-level research in their field.

UA Honors also offers top-tier leadership and service opportunities through the University Fellows Experience . This four-year program allows students to develop elite leadership skills while empowering them to give back to the community around them through service and mentorship. The combination of academics and service offered by UA Honors helps honors graduates stand out as they embark on their future careers.

The amazing academic and extracurricular activities available through UA Honors comes at a reasonable price, too. That's because UA Honors offers some of the most generous merit aid packages in the country to its students . At least eleven different types of merit and need based scholarships are available to UA honors students. On top of those scholarships, UA Honors students are eligible for study abroad scholarships and research fellowships.

5 Tips for Applying to Top College Honors Programs

Applying to college is already a demanding task. If you're planning to apply to honors colleges on top of that, you've got your work cut out for you!

Our list of five tips for applying to top honors colleges can help simplify the honors application process.

Tip 1: Do Your Research Before You Apply

Lots of prospective honors students consult the annual honors college rankings to help them decide which honors colleges to apply to. But rankings are just the tip of the iceberg! You can—and should!— learn a lot about college honors programs just by browsing university websites before you make any decisions about where to apply.

Honors college applications can be long and involved. You want to make sure you know that an honors college is a good fit for you before you dump your time and energy into a secondary application. By doing a little research up front, you'll save yourself precious time during college application season.

Tip 2: Learn How You're Being Evaluated

You can almost always find out the average SAT/ACT scores and GPA of students who are accepted to a school's honors college before you apply. Many college honors programs have higher requirements for standardized test scores and GPAs that determine whether an applicant qualifies for admission.

Though you shouldn't necessarily let your GPA, class rank, or standardized test scores deter you from applying to honors colleges, these numbers can help give you an idea of where you stand going into the application process. If your scores and GPA are a lot lower than the honor program's stated requirements, then you may have a hard time getting in.

On the other hand, some schools no longer take SAT/ACT scores and GPA into account as a part of their honors college applications. These schools are more interested in learning about who you are through written essays and short answer questions. If you're applying to these schools, you can't plan to simply rely on a perfect SAT score or 4.0 GPA—you'll need to make sure you're a well-rounded candidate before you decide to apply.

The bottom line? Go into the application process knowing how different honors colleges are going to evaluate you and what qualities they're looking for. This will help you know which components of the application to focus your energy on.

Tip 3: Brush Up on Your Writing Skills

We've already mentioned that honors college applications are more demanding than regular college apps, usually because they ask you to write additional essays as part of the application process.

Also, the essay prompts usually require you to think creatively about yourself, your intellectual interests, and global issues. While some honors colleges ask standard questions like "why this school," most are going to ask you to think way outside the box. (For examples of essay questions like these—and to prepare yourself for what you may see on an honors college application— check out the University of Chicago's essay prompts .)

You'll also want to apply for special scholarships or fellowships available through your selected honors programs. Most merit-based scholarship applications include a required essay section that asks you to explain what experiences, achievements, or goals make you the best candidate for the scholarship. That's right— more writing!

Are you starting to see how the essays can add up if you plan to apply to an honors college? Don't worry, though! If you're prepared to write persuasively about your skills and achievements, you're prepared to show that you're an amazing honors college candidate.

Tip 4: Be Ready for an On-Campus Interview

Sometimes (though not always) honors colleges will narrow their applicant pool by inviting select applicants to visit their university's campus for an in-person interview . There are some great things about being invited to an on-campus interview: you get to meet faculty and current students, and you'll get to tour the college's facilities.

There are also some scary things about an interview: namely, it will help admissions officers determine whether you'll be invited into the program or not.

Does this sound nerve-wracking? Don't worry: you can take a lot of the anxiety out of the interview process with a little preparation. Our guide to conquering the college interview is a great place to start !

Tip 5: Be Yourself!

It may sound cheesy, but honors colleges want to get to know you through your application. Don't lie or exaggerate to try and impress the admissions committee! You're already a great student: all you have to do is put together an equally great, authentic application .

Keep in mind that creativity and curiosity are two of the qualities that honors colleges desire the most in potential students. If you can demonstrate what makes you a creative thinker and what intellectual topics get you excited in your application essays, you'll be more likely to stand out to the faculty and staff members who evaluate your application materials!

What's Next?

If getting into an honors college your goal, then you need to make sure you're setting yourself up for success. This starts with having a solid GPA . First, make sure you're calculating your GPA correctly . Once you figure out what your current GPA is, you can focus on raising it as quickly as possible !

Once your GPA is looking good, it's time to start focusing on your test scores. Having good test scores is one key to getting into the honors program of your dreams! The first step is deciding whether you should take the SAT or ACT . Then it's time to start studying. Check out our expert SAT study tips and expert ACT study tips to make sure you're studying smarter and harder.

But like we mentioned earlier, the best honors programs know that you're more than just your grades and test scores. Honors colleges want to see that you're involved in things beyond school, which is where extracurriculars come in . This article will teach you everything you need to know about writing about extracurriculars on your college applications so that you stand out from the crowd.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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How to write every clemson application essay, including calhoun honors college: 2020-21, school supplements.

Bex Ehrmann

There have been a few changes to the Clemson application essays for this year. First of all, you can now apply to Clemson using the Common Application!  If you pick this route, you will have to write the Common Application Personal Statement. Don't worry: if you pick the Coalition app (or Clemson's own application) your main essay is still optional. We’ll cover that below!

If you want to get into Calhoun Honors College or be considered for the National Scholars Program, you'll need to write two 500-word supplemental essays. This guide will help you develop strong Clemson application essay topics to share your unique strengths, interests, and values.

Let’s start by looking at the Calhoun Honors College writing supplement questions.

These first two prompts are required:

Prompt #1: Tell us—as best you can at this point—about your academic and professional goals. What experiences, talents, accomplishments, and/or personal qualities make you think you'd be happy and successful in the Honors College and in your future career? (500 words)

This essay is essentially a “Why Major” essay that leaves space for you to reflect on the personal strengths you’ve developed by following your intellectual interests.

• Share an experience that catalyzed your interest in a specific field.
• Describe how you’ve explored this area of interest.
• Reflect on how your relevant experiences have shaped your goals for the future and helped you develop personal qualities that will help you succeed.
• Address how the Calhoun Honors College will enable you to achieve your goals.

Prompt #2: What is something you thought you knew that you turned out to be wrong about? Why was this realization important? (500 words)

For this Clemson application essay, it’s important to pick an experience that really changed you.

• Start by identifying your previous misbelief and why you held it.
• Describe the experience that made you question this misbelief.
• Describe how this experience changed your views in a lasting and memorable way.
• Explain the key lessons you took from this experience.

These two prompts are optional:

Optional Prompt #1: Please use this space to share any special circumstances affecting your application that warrant consideration by the selection committee. (250 words, optional)

This essay is an optional part of the Calhoun Honors application, so you should only write it if you have something significant to explain. For example, you might want to explain missing or confusing information in your application, unusual life circumstances that affected part of your application, or something truly important to your life that didn’t fit anywhere else.

Optional Prompt #2: Please upload any extra documentation here that you wish to include with your application such as your resume or list of accomplishments. You may upload a PDF, MS Word, or MS Excel file up to 10MB in size. Due to the volume of materials received by the Clemson University Honors College during our admission cycle, we are unable to manually attach documentation to your application that is mailed, faxed, or emailed to our office. You have the option to upload a resume and one additional document in this section of our application and three additional support document uploads at the end of this application. Each applicant is limited to a total of five additional support documentation uploads. Three of these upload options are available for post-submission upload via the "View Checklist" link after clicking on "Review Your Activity" on the index page (meaning you can upload up to three of your maximum five support documents at any time after you submit your initial application to us). (no word limit, optional)

If you’re applying with the Common App, you may be frustrated by the limited character counts in the activity list or awards/honors section. If that’s the case, you should definitely submit a separate résumé to highlight your impact within your extracurricular activities, internships, etc.

For the support documents, it’s important to focus on accomplishments or work samples that showcase your ability to succeed in college and beyond. For example, you might submit:

• A graded academic essay
• Research abstract
• A document that demonstrates your leadership in a club (e.g. a budget spreadsheet or marketing materials for an event you planned)
• A creative writing sample
• Technical drawings or diagrams

Additional Info:

If you’re applying via the Coalition Application or Clemson’s own application, you won’t write the Common Application personal statement. However, you should consider submitting this optional Clemson application essay, as it’s a great way to provide more details about your achievements and goals.

Prompt: Include information that you believe will contribute to your success as a student and information that we may not be able to gather within your application. You may also include any information concerning individual educational objectives and career goals. (No Word Limit).

The best way to approach this essay is to focus on one thing that you really want Clemson to know about you. Do you feel like your application paints a clear picture of who you are and why you want to attend Clemson? If not, what’s missing?

For example, you might want to write about…

• An achievement, in or out of the classroom. As you completed your application, did you feel like you didn’t have enough room to talk about something awesome you did?
• How Clemson will prepare you for your career goals. What are the top 2-3 features of Clemson that will prepare you to do amazing things in the future?

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How to Get Into Clemson University Admissions Data & Strategies

February 23, 2022

Clemson University, a public land-grant institution located in South Carolina, is home to more than 21,000 undergraduate students. After receiving an all-time record of 47,000+ applications in 2021, it is fair to say that becoming a Clemson Tiger has never been a more common goal for stellar students in South Carolina as well as throughout the rest of the United States. For students to turn that dream into reality, they will need to bring stronger academic credentials to the table that at any previous time in the school’s 130+ year history. For evidence, you can look to the fact that average enrolled students score better than a 1300 on the SAT and possess well above a 4.0 weighted high school GPA.

Given the rising selectivity of Clemson, the intent of this article is to give those considering applying to the university:

• An understanding of what you are up against.
• More data on which to accurately assess your chances of admission.
• Advice for how to get your application to Clemson stand out, even against other strong applicants.

To accomplish these goals, we will touch on the following topics:

• Clemson’s Class of 2025 acceptance rate
• SAT/ACT, GPA, and class rank for Clemson freshmen
• Admissions trends from the Class of 2025
• Clemson’s system for rating applicants
• A look at the demographics of current Clemson undergraduates
• The percent of accepted students that attend Clemson (yield rate)
• Tips for applying to Clemson
• How to assess whether applying to Clemson is even worth the $70 application fee (for you)

Many students applying to Clemson University may also find the following blogs to be of interest:

• How to Get Into UNC Chapel Hill
• How to Get Into UGA

Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.

Clemson Acceptance Rate – Class of 2025

There were 47,007 applications for admission into the Tiger Class of 2025 and 23,138 individuals received an acceptance. This acceptance rate of 49% was significantly lower than the previous year which saw 62% admitted into the Class of 2024.

The acceptance rate for in-state and out-of-state applicants was almost identical for the Class of 2024. This differs from many popular public universities that accept residents at a higher clip than out-of-state or international students.

Clemson Admissions – SAT/ACT, GPA, and Class Rank Info

According to the most recent statistics available (Class of 2025), the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1240-1400; the ACT range was 29-30. Typically, the average weighted GPA was higher than a 4.4 and 75% of enrolled students possess better than a 4.0. An impressive 55% of 2021-22 freshmen placed in the top decile of their high school class while 80% placed in the top quartile; 99% landed in the top half.

Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2025

• Clemson was test optional for students applying to join the 2022-23 freshman cohort.
• The Class of 2025 included 103 high school valedictorians and 93 salutatorians.
• 729 members of the Class of 2025 identify as first-generation college students.
• 697 of the 2021-22 first-years reported having one or more parent as a Clemson alum.
• 396 entering students were enrolled in the Clemson University Honors College

How Clemson Rates Applicants

There are five factors that the Clemson admissions committee deems as “very important” to the process: rigor of high school course load, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, and state residency. “Considered” factors are: the application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and legacy status. No factors are labeled as “Important”.

Directly from the Clemson admissions staff:

• “One of the clearest indicators of your fit at Clemson is your academic performance in high school. We examine your GPA, class rank and the rigor of the classes you took to gauge your ability to rise to academic challenges.”
• “Most of our applicants have competitive GPAs and present transcripts with college preparatory, honors and AP coursework based on what is offered by their high school.”

It is also worth highlighting that recruited athletes enjoy a huge edge. This is because Clemson takes great pride in their 19 NCAA Division I sports teams. Within the Class of 2025, there were 96 student-athletes.

For advice about how to stand out on the extracurricular front, check out our previous blog entitled  How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

Clemson University Demographics

Let’s look at the demographics of the current Clemson undergrads.

Geographically, the undergraduate student body is presently comprised of the greatest numbers of students from the following U.S. states:

• South Carolina: 13,261
• North Carolina: 1,081
• Georgia: 921
• New Jersey: 900
• New York: 629
• Virginia: 576
• Maryland: 458
• Pennsylvania: 456
• Massachusetts: 451
• Florida: 405

Among non-residents, competition is stiffest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you hail from a less-populated state like Wyoming or North Dakota, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances at Clemson.

International students make up just 0.5% of the undergraduate student body. Among that tiny group, the greatest percentages come from:

• Jamaica: 10%

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown was as follows:

• Hispanic: 6%
• African American: 6%
• Two or more races: 4%

Looking at the gender breakdown, the school presently enrolls a fairly even split of men and women.

Students in the 2021-22 first year class included students from:

• 51% South Carolina residents
• 269 South Carolina high schools
• 1,383 non-South Carolina high schools
• 48 states and the District of Columbia
• 19 foreign countries.

The Top-10 intended majors for the Class of 2025 were:

• General Engineering
• Pre-Business
• Computer Science
• Psychology (BS)
• Animal and Veterinary Sciences
• Pre-Professional Health Studies.
• Psychology (BA)

Clemson’s “Yield Rate”

Clemson’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted is only 20%. This figure is significantly lower than other Southern powerhouse state universities like UGA (41%), UVA (40%), and UNC-Chapel Hill (43%).

Tips for Applying to Clemson

If you plan on joining the 47,000+ Clemson hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• Clemson does not use evaluative interviews as part of their evaluation process. Therefore you will need to find alternative ways to make a personal connection to an admissions officer through your essays and recommendations.
• Legacy is factored into the admissions process which means that being the son or daughter of one (or two) Tiger alumni can boost your admissions chances.
• Clemson does not consider “ demonstrated interest ” so you will not be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, etc.
• Unless you are applying to the Honors College, Clemson does not require applicants to submit supplemental essays. Therefore, you should devote plenty of time to perfecting your Common App essay .

Should I Apply to Clemson?

Those with SAT/ACT scores within the mid-50% mark for Clemson who have earned a place in the top 10% of their high school class are absolutely viable candidates to Clemson. Those who are inside the top 25% of the class and/or have SAT/ACT above the median mark also have a solid chance at gaining acceptance.

All teens applying to a school of Clemson’s ilk also need to also have a proper mix or “target” and “safety” schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be  found here .

• Application Strategies
• College Search/Knowledge
• Navigating the Admissions Process

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).

• 2-Year Colleges
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• High School Success
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“Innovative and invaluable…use this book as your college lifeline.”

— Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Nationally Recognized College Expert

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Clemson University

• Cost & scholarships
• Essay prompt

Want to see your chances of admission at Clemson University?

We take every aspect of your personal profile into consideration when calculating your admissions chances.

Clemson University’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Academic interest and goals essay.

Tell us about your academic interests and professional goals (to the extent that you have identified them at this point). What inspired these interests and goals? What experiences, talents, accomplishments, identities, and/or personal qualities can you see influencing your college career and beyond?

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?