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Clark Atlanta University: Harkness Hall, Clark Atlanta University, June 2015
Photo: Marc Merlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

National university

Clark Atlanta University

Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $37,702 a year

Median debt at graduation: $27,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.49%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.71%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.16 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$9,940

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$37,356
$30,001–$48,000$39,270
$48,001–$75,000$39,009
$75,001–$110,000$39,514
Over $110,000$38,680

Full cost of attendance before aid: $43,676 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
3,495
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 23% · Women 77%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
32%
Total students4,135
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$37,702
Cost of attendance (per year)$43,676
Median federal debt at graduation$27,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
49%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
43%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
42%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
31%
First-year retention71%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$42,712
Admission rate64%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$35
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $1,660 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants70%

Value: Solid (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Social work$54,657
Business administration$53,911
Criminal justice$47,012
Biology$45,413
Psychology$45,368
Curriculum and instruction$44,498
Broadcasting$34,335
Design$24,420

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting, Chemistry, Computer science, Computing and information science, Demography, Education (general), English, Fine arts, History, Managerial economics, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political science, Religious studies, Romance languages, Sociology, Teacher education, Theatre, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business24%
Communication19%
Psychology14%
Visual and performing arts9%
Criminal justice and security9%

Campus life

School colors
SettingCity
Part-time undergraduates2%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older2%
On-campus room and board (per year)$12,748
SportsNCAA Division II · Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
ROTCArmy · Navy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member16 to 1
Faculty who are full-time59%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$25,961IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 76% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceHartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)About 8 miles away · about 20 minutes by car
Town population505,268Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreAtlantaIn or next to this city
Typical weather44°F in January · 80°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Atlanta Fulton Co Airport, GA, about 7 miles away

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.470.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.470.04
Burglary1.180.08
Motor vehicle theft1.180.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Clark Atlanta University’s Compass Score?
Solid (grade C+). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Clark Atlanta University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $37,702 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Clark Atlanta University?
Clark Atlanta University admitted 64% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Clark Atlanta University’s graduates do?
49% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $42,712; the median federal debt at graduation is $27,000.

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About this school’s data
  • IPEDS unit ID 138947
  • Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (high research)
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
  • Religious affiliation (IPEDS): United Methodist
  • Report an error or a newer source
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