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.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,603 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 64% admitNCAA Division II with football · Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

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

Selectivity64.2%

More selective than 71% · #16 most selective of 46 in Georgia

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 37% · #17 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention71%

Higher than 32%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,712

Higher than 19% · #37 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$37,702

Cheaper than 6% · #51 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment3,603

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

4,237students
  • Undergraduate3,60385%
  • Graduate63415%

Undergraduates by gender

3,603undergrads
  • 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)

All students
37%
Low-income (Pell)
36%
First-generation
35%

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)

Football101
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)44
Basketball33
Baseball30
Softball24
Volleyball17
Tennis10
Cross Country10

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.

17reported offenses a year
8.0 violent a year8.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
5.7
Aggravated assault
3.7
Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Fondling
2.0
Rape
1.7
Robbery
0.7

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.

< $30k
$37,356
$30–48k
$39,270
$48–75k
$39,009
$75–110k
$39,514
$110k+
$38,680

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.

Est. total to a degree
$170,336

$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.

45%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,416
average award, among those who get one

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.

Weigh it value

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
$43,618
Men
$39,428

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Atlanta Fulton CO AP, GA US station (6.6 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Clark Atlanta University

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.