international applicants

We are glad you asked.  To ensure an M.Ed. in Student Affairs would help you pursue the types of jobs you are interesting in applying to in the future, we encourage you to read this page on our website and use the resources we provided.  We would not recommend this degree for anyone interested in becoming a teacher, principal, or other roles in a Pre school - grade 12/high school/secondary educational setting or interested in becoming a social worker or advancing their knowledge in that field.  

A graduate assistantship is a form of on-campus employment where an enrolled graduate student works in a campus department between 20 and 28 hours per week and is compensated with tuition assistance and a stipend that is determined by the hiring department.  

Obtaining an approved assistantship through the CU-GARS process is a requirement to enroll in the program.  If you are conditionally accepted into the program but do not receive and accept an assistantship offer, you cannot enroll in the academic program.  

To be invited to interview for an assistantship, you must:

• submit an academic application by the published deadline

• submit the CU-GARS application by the published deadline 

• be conditionally accepted into the program

• accept your invitation to participate in CU-GARS by the published deadline

When you submit the CU-GARS application, you will submit your resume and be able to identify departments you would be interested in interviewing with on the Thursday morning of our interview weekend.  As an international applicant, you will only be able to select positions that meet the visa requirement of a start date less than 30 days before the first day of fall classes.  

No.  Anyone seeking an assistantship must go through our CU-GARS process.  We do not offer assistantships before our process begins as individuals must also be conditionally admitted to the program and interviewed.  Only individuals who have been conditionally admitted are invited to interview for an assistantship.    

Thanks for wondering, but no.  Please do not send or provide us with any financial information to apply for an assistantship.   

We will typically have around 25 assistantships each year, and you must have an assistantship to enroll in the academic program.  Most of our assistantships require a start date before August 1 because GAs receive training and are expected to begin critical work to the function of the university such as advising, new student orientation, etc. during the summer months before graduate classes begin.  Certain university offices require the support of graduate student staff and the assistantships that are available means a graduate student left the role when they graduated in May.  Thus, the office may not be able to wait until mid-August for a new graduate student to begin their assistantship.

If an international applicant is not currently studying at an institution of higher education in the United States, they cannot begin an assistantship more than 30 days before the first day of fall classes.  If due to these visa requirements you need an assistantship start date to be closer to the beginning of fall classes, there are a very limited number of assistantships available and the interview process is very competitive.  Last year, the program had over 200 international applicants (does not include applicants from the United States).  

We strive to be transparent about not only the total number of assistantships we have but also the limited availability of ones with a start date close to the beginning of the fall semester and with what supervisors need when hiring their graduate assistants based on job responsibilities.  We hope sharing this information allows individuals to determine how best to approach their graduate program search.  

International students can enter the United States (U.S.) no more than 30 days before the start of their admitted term (based on the government regulations - not a Clemson decision). During this arrival window, you can arrive, complete your check-in with Clemson's office of International Student Services, and apply for a Social Security Number to become eligible for employment within the United States.  It is possible to start employment within this window once these steps are completed, and students are cleared by Clemson's Office of Human Resources.

The only exception to what is shared above would be is if the international student was graduating from a U.S. institution in May 2026 and seeking enrollment in August 2026. This situation is uncommon, but may be a possibility for individuals who can transfer their immigration records from other U.S. institutions to Clemson.

Based on federal guidelines, international applicants not currently studying in the U.S. are only eligible for assistantships that start closer to the first day of fall classes and will not be able to interview for assistantships that have a start date more than 30 days before the beginning of the fall semester. Once position descriptions are posted on our website, they will indicate whether or not a supervisor can be flexible with the start date by either a few days or if they can consider an applicant who cannot start until August 1.  

If it's helpful to understand, the reason several assistantships cannot be flexible with their start dates is because graduate assistants receive training and begin critical work to the function of the University during the summer months.  Clemson does have students taking summer classes and seeking support services during the summer months.  Additionally, new undergraduate students are going through the orientation and academic advising process during the summer.  Certain offices require graduate assistant support and the positions that are available for incoming graduate students means a graduate student left the role when they graduated in May.  

The academic program is approximately two years in length, and Graduate Assistantships are intended as two-year appointments (length of time you are in the program). The second year is renewed so long as assistantship requirements have been satisfactorily met.

Most international students are eligible for employment up to 20 hours per week during fall and spring terms. In this case where students may require assistantships over 20 hours, they can apply for full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT) to give them eligibility to work over 20 hours per week. Students can only participate in up to 12 months of full-time CPT before becoming ineligible for post-completion OPT (work authorization once they graduate). The OPT and CPT hour requirement is not something we are able to control at Clemson.  The hours per week requirement depends on the goals of the international student after graduation versus our offices. 

Due to this United States federal government stipulation, a student may not want to exceed the 12 months depending on their goals after graduating. For example, a student could participate in 25-28 hour assistantship their first fall, first spring, and second fall terms. Students would not require full-time CPT in the summer as they are eligible for full-time on-campus employment in the summer.  Student would have to limit their assistantship to 20 hours in the final spring semester, so they do not exceed 12 months of full-time CPT.  If the student does not want to stay in the United States after graduation, they could continue to work the 25-28 hours per week.  

The number of hours per week will be listed on each assistantship position description.  Offices determine the hours of week needed based on the job responsibilities of each GA and often these hours coincide with time spent working with and supporting students.  If the supervisor is flexible and is okay with hiring a graduate student who works fewer hours than they hoped, the person needs to realize the stipend (amount paid) will be lower since they are working fewer hours per week.  

For example - the stated is 25 hours per week, and the position description notes that the supervisor is flexible.  The supervisor during the interviews says you could work less than 25 hours per week.  When considering the financial aspect of that decision, \you need to factor in that your stipend would be less than the stated amount on the position description since it is based on the 25 hours per week.  Note - no student (domestic or international student) can work more than 28 hours per week as that is a federal law.

Usually summer is just a “break term” which requires no enrollment for immigration purposes. As long as you are maintaining your full-time enrollment, you are eligible for on-campus employment up to 20 hours per week during the school year and full-time in recognized university breaks. 

The majority of M.Ed. in Student Affairs Graduate Assistantships include tuition assistance, which covers the cost of your courses. You are responsible for paying select student fees (e.g. library fee, health fee, activity fee, etc.) and covering your personal expenses, which could include housing, food, etc.  Some assistantships may cover some of your living costs.  Each assistantship position description will indicate if they cover these costs and provide any other financial support such as professional development funds, if they are available.  

Learn more about Graduate School student tuition and fees from Student Financial Services and use the Graduate Tuition Fee Calculator.  Select the MED - Counselor Ed, full time, on-campus, in-state, and yes to receiving an assistantship to receive an estimate.  NOTE - if you receive an assistantship and live outside of South Carolina, you will receive the in-state rate.  If someone will be or is on a J-1 or F-1 visa, there is a $100 fee to support the department processing all of the required paperwork.  We encourage you to contact Student Financial Services with any questions you have.

Each assistantship will also pay a stipend that is distributed with each paycheck.  Stipends vary from assistantship to assistantship and will be noted in the position description once they are posted.  The stipend is the maximum amount of money a department can pay its graduate assistantship based on the number of hours per week listed in the position description.

Please note that if the position description says the number of hours per week is flexible and you are hoping to or needing to work fewer than the hours listed, (for example - the stated number is 25 hours per week), and the supervisor during the interviews says you could work less than 25 hours per week, you need to factor in that your stipend would be less than the stated amount in the position description since it is based on the 25 hours per week.  Note - no student (domestic or international student) can work more than 28 hours per week as that is a federal law.

If you accept an assistantship offer, part of the paperwork you are required to complete will include providing financial documentation through the iStart Portal. In addition to uploading a valid passport and admissions letter, you will need to upload assistantship contract. Students funded by assistantship coming without any dependents need to have a minimum stipend amount of $15,988 (2023 figure - may change for 2025).  If your stipend is less than that amount, you will need to provide additional financial documentation such as personal bank statement, loan statement, etc. If the funding is not listed in your name (for example a family member, friend, other sponsor), this person(s) the IS-50 form is also required.  If bringing a spouse and/or child(ren), you need to provide passports and proof of relationship (birth certificate, marriage license, etc.)

If you have any questions or want to verify the minimum stipend amount, contact Clemson’s International Student Office as they will be equipped to answer your questions.

Visit the Graduate School webpage to create an account and apply to the academic program.  There is no cost to apply for the academic program, and the program does not require the GRE.  

No.  The faculty will consider all applications to the academic program at the same time.  

Additionally, faculty will not consider late or incomplete applications.  We recommend planning ahead especially when asking individuals to submit letters of recommendation for you.  If you are in a different time zone than Clemson, take this piece into account to also ensure your materials are in the system by the deadline.  

The CU-GARS application will be available in late October each year for the following summer/fall start dates.  Once it is open, it can be completed at any time but must be completed by the posted deadline.

The CU-GARS  application will have you: 

• upload a resume' (pdf) that can be reviewed by our assistantship supervisors conducting the interviews

  • it can be but does not have to be the same resume you used with your academic application

  • this resume will go to all areas, so it does not need to be tailored to each assistantship that interests you

• provide information for two references that may be contacted by various assistantship supervisors

• rank your top assistantship roles that meet visa requirements as an international applicant - international applicants who are living and/or currently studying at a higher education institution outside the United States will not be able to indicate or interview for assistantships with a start date 30 days or longer before the beginning of the fall semester - thus you would not see assistantships on your application that require a start date 30 days or longer before the beginning of the fall semester

• answer questions about interviewing for assistantships virtually through the CU-GARS process

No, please direct all questions related to assistantships/position descriptions to cugars@g.clemson.edu. During the CU-GARS weekend, you will have opportunities to connect with supervisors and representatives of the departments and ask additional questions. 

We anticipate notifying applicants less than two weeks after the January 1 academic application deadline if they have been invited the interview weekend.  Therefore, it is very important that all part of your application are submitted on time (including letters of reference) to allow the faculty to review your materials.  Faculty will not consider incomplete applications.  

Great question, no.  Being conditionally admitted to the academic program and invited to attend CU-GARS is the first step.  Attending CU-GARS allows you to interview for available assistantship positions.  You then need to receive and accept an offer for an assistantship to enroll.  You could receive an offer and decline, which means you cannot enroll at Clemson.

Our Coordinating Committee of professional staff members will review assistantship supervisor and candidate preferences to develop each candidate's interview schedule. We collect candidate interview preferences through the CU-GARS application.  

We anticipate having interview schedules to candidates one week before interviews.  No changes can be made until the Interview Weekend.  We will share specific instructions on how this process will work as we get closer to the Interview Weekend. 

Virtual interviews will take place between 8am and 12pm (noon) eastern on the Thursday of our interview weekend.  Candidates will not have every time slot booked with an interview, but interviews will only occur during this timeframe.  

There are no other "live" events that international candidates must attend.  There will be elements recorded and made available to international candidates after CU-GARS.  

We will use Zoom to conduct all virtual interviews.  Candidates will receive a link they will use when it is time for their interview.  We will also provide detailed instructions ahead of time and be available if you experience any issues.  

If technical or personal issues prohibit an international candidate from interviewing during their designated time, we will try our best to reschedule but it may not be possible to do so.  

While not specific to how to prepare for student affairs roles or interviews, Clemson's nationally ranked Center for Career and Professional Development has open-access resources you may find helpful.  

• Interview Skills workshops (and other topics)

• Handouts on a variety of topics

• Competency-based resources including categorized interview questions 

We would also recommend contacting your undergraduate institution's career center for resources.  They may also be able to do mock interviews with you to help you prepare.  

Yes!  Sending notes to supervisors after your interviews is not required.  If you would like to follow-up, we created a centralized process that all in-person and virtual candidates can use.   The deadline to submit a thank you will be Sunday of the interview weekend at noon (12pm) eastern.  The form will not receive responses after the deadline.  We will send supervisors the messages on your behalf before they submit their preferences to the Coordinating Committee.  They will share with anyone on their interview team.  To help us streamline this process and ensure supervisors do not miss your messages, we ask that you do not send emails directly to staff - even once the deadline passes.  Email cugars@g.clemson.edu with any questions regarding thank you notes.  

We will email a document to all candidates following interviews.  Here are some of those details.

Notifications for assistantship offers begin the Tuesday afternoon following the close of interview weekend.  Candidates living outside of the United States will receive an email.  If someone did not receive an initial offer, we will inform them by email (regardless of where they live) usually the Wednesday afternoon following the close of the interview weekend. For our 2024 cycle, two-thirds of candidates who interviewed for assistantships did not receive an offer.  

Individuals receiving an offer from Clemson (and any other programs they have applied to in the United States) have until April 15, per a national deadline, to inform institutions if they accept or decline their assistantship offer.  Interview processes in the United States occur from the end of January to the middle/end of March, so the deadline allows applicants to consider all of their offers before making a decision.  

While candidates with offers are making their decisions, those who didn't receive an offer have the option to remain in our candidate pool and be eligible for consideration for assistantships they qualify for (start date, hours per week, etc.) if an opening becomes available.  Candidates can inform us at any time if they no longer want to remain in the candidate pool.  

We will keep candidates in our pool aware of how things are progressing via email every two weeks until mid-April (we usually send messages around March 3, March 17, April 1, and April 18.  We appreciate your patience and understand it may be frustrating waiting for an update or offer.  We cannot force anyone to make a decision sooner than the national deadline.  Finally, we will inform anyone in the candidate pool when all of our positions have been filled.  

We hope being transparent about our process and competitiveness of our assistantship process and allows you to identify how best to approach your graduate program search.  

We are glad you asked - and congrats on accepting your offer!  Revisit your graduate school acceptance letter and complete any steps they require - mainly to officially accept your invitation of admissions.  The Newly Accepted Students page can assist with this process.  This step will ensure you receive important information about being a new student. 

We recognize acquiring a student visa can be frustrating, detailed, and lengthy.  While the process and timeline varies from country to country and from student to student, Clemson’s International Student Office recommends students accept their admission and request I-20s from the iStart Portal as soon as possible.  From there, Clemson’s International Student Office will provide additional next steps, hyperlinks, and details on what to do after receiving the I-20, applying for a visa, and preparing for arrival to the U.S.  If you encounter any difficulties, contact Clemson’s International Student Office as they will be equipped to answer your questions.

Additionally, a student in our program developed this resource to support international students transitioning to enrolling in and moving to Clemson.

Candidates who do not receive an offer for a Graduate Assistant position will not be eligible to enroll in the Student Affairs master's program. Your admission to the M.Ed. in Student Affairs program cannot be confirmed with the Graduate School without a graduate assistantship that has been approved by the faculty.

No, the assistantships we provide have been approved by the faculty.  Our faculty want to ensure students are getting the practical experience required that allows them to apply theory and content learned in the classroom in a real-world setting.  Additionally, faculty want to ensure they provide quality teaching and advising and therefore limit the number of students in the program each year. 

Yes!  We have an asynchronous tour option and links to other tours that you can experience at any time.  Visit our Learning About and Touring Clemson page for more details!

Yes!  Prior to the Interview Weekend, we invite you to connect through our info sessions as well with students during our SPA Instagram Takeovers and our Pre-Interview Weekend Info Session and Affinity Panels.