Private nonprofit · University
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, Georgia · Large city
- 64.2%
- Admit rate
- $37,702
- Avg net price
- 49%
- Graduation rate
- $42,712
- Median earnings
Clark Atlanta University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Atlanta, Georgia (large city setting), enrolling 3,603 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.
About Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. For thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers in North Georgia, the indigenous Creek people, Cherokee people, and their ancestors inhabited the area. Atlanta has drawn residents from many other parts of the U.S., in addition to many recent immigrants to the U.S. who have made the metropolitan area their home, establishing Atlanta as the cultural and economic hub of an increasingly multi-cultural metropolitan area. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Atlanta, GA
- To the ocean
- 222 miles
- Nearest airport
- 8 miles to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta (ATL) · major hub
How Clark Atlanta University compares
More selective than 71% · #16 most selective of 46 in Georgia
Higher than 37% · #17 of 54 in Georgia
Higher than 32%
Higher than 19% · #37 of 54 in Georgia
Cheaper than 6% · #51 cheapest of 54 in Georgia
Lower than 11%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 72%
Percentiles compare Clark Atlanta University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Georgia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,60385%
- Graduate63415%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,74976%
- Men85424%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- Black54%
- Hispanic1.2%
- Other or multiracial44%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,603
- Graduate enrollment
- 634
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 70%
- First-generation students
- 32%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $28,746
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $76,014
- Endowment
- $116,477,562
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 64.2%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $28,310
- Room & board
- $12,748
- Books & supplies
- $1,900
- Total cost of attendance
- $43,676
- Average net price
- $37,702
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 49%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 37%
- First-year retention
- 71%
- Transferred to another college
- 17%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $28,097
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,712
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 80%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 23%
About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,650
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 74%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,226
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,792
- Application fee
- $35
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 269 (157 men · 112 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 24
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 26
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,252 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$39,009/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 45% — get grant money from Clark Atlanta University itself, averaging $8,416, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,108 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $42,712
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 63%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 47%
Typical debt would take roughly 6.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Women out-earn men by $4,190 (11%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 34°F
- Annual rain
- 48.1″
- Annual snow
- 2.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Atlanta Fulton CO AP, GA US station (6.6 mi from campus).
What Clark Atlanta University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Clark Atlanta University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Clark Atlanta University side by side →
Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, Florida · Small city · 56 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 3,404
- Admission
- 58%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1225
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $43k
Southeastern University
Lakeland, Florida · Midsize city · 33 mi to Tampa
- Students
- 4,813
- Admission
- 53%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Bard College
Annandale-On-Hudson, New York · Fringe rural · 44 mi to Albany
- Students
- 2,414
- Admission
- 52%
- Net price
- $35k
- SAT
- 1380
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $47k
Lynn University
Boca Raton, Florida · Small city · 23 mi to West Palm Beach
- Students
- 2,859
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $44k
- SAT
- 1134
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $49k
Springfield College
Springfield, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 2 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,751
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1275
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $48k
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois · Large city · < 1 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 2,805
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $50k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Clark Atlanta University
Spelman College
Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,414 students
Morehouse College
Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,844 students
Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Morris Brown College
Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 432 students
Herzing University-Atlanta
Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 387 students
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA · Public · Bachelor's · 26,623 students
Georgia State University-Perimeter College
Atlanta, GA · Public · Associate · 13,693 students
Institute of Medical Ultrasound
Atlanta, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 50 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.











