Public · Community college

Clark State College

Springfield, Ohio · Small city

26%
Transfer rate: $12,135
Avg net price: 22%
Grad / completion: $39,584
Median earnings

Clark State College is a public certificate-granting institution in Springfield, Ohio (small city setting), enrolling 3,456 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,456 undergradsSmall cityNJCAA Division IICold winters

About Springfield, Ohio

Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. During the 18th century, the Ohio Country saw warfare, waves of migration and displacement, and imposition of claims by rivaling colonial powers France and Britain. With the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, the British became the sole European claimants of the region. Springfield has a notably weakened economy due to many factors, but a key cause for degradation of the economy in Springfield has been the decline in manufacturing jobs. In the 1990s, Springfield lost 22,000 blue collar jobs, which were the backbone of the city economy. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 23 miles to Dayton, OH
To Great Lakes shore: 115 miles
Nearest airport: 22 miles to James M. Cox Dayton (DAY)

How Clark State College compares

#94 · Community Colleges with the Best Transfer Rates

Graduation rate22%

Higher than 5% · #156 of 168 in Ohio

First-year retention100%

Higher than 95%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,584

Higher than 67% · #66 of 157 in Ohio

Average net price$12,135

Cheaper than 61% · #52 cheapest of 155 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$14,490

Lower than 16%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment3,456

Larger than 88%

Percentiles compare Clark State College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Ohio.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women2,31167%
Men1,14533%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White63%
Black22%
Hispanic4.7%
Asian0.9%
Other or multiracial8.9%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,456
Student–faculty ratio: 13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 38%
First-generation students: 53%
Students over 25: 38%
Median family income: $22,130
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $62,649
Endowment: $10,624,317

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $4,393
Out-of-state tuition: $8,049
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,800
Total cost of attendance: $16,812
Average net price: $12,135

Outcomes

Graduated: 22%
First-year retention: 100%
Transferred to another college: 26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $32,341
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $39,584
Median debt at graduation: $14,490
Students with federal loans: 41%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 20%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

22%

Low-income (Pell)

First-generation

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: No
Application fee: $15
Athletics: NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes: 69 (50 men · 19 women)

Varsity sports (3)

Baseball30

Basketball30

Volleyball9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 3

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.0reported offenses a year

0 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

1.0

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

$10,526

$30–48k

$10,129

$48–75k

$13,884

$75–110k

$15,540

$110k+

$16,081

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.

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.

22%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,522

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 22% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,522. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 213 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): $39,584
Typical debt at graduation: $14,490
Debt vs. one year's pay: 37%
Out-earn a HS grad: 42%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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

$36,076

Men

$45,897

Men out-earn women by $9,821 (27%) 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: 84°F
Winter low: 18°F
Annual rain: 40.2″
Annual snow: 18.7″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Springfield Wtp, OH US station (5.3 mi from campus).

What Clark State College graduates study — and earn

Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsCert.

227 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

227———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

172 grads$24k 1 yr$34k 5 yr$14k debt

172$24,049$34,413$14,260 Fire ProtectionCert.

128 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

128———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

118 grads$64k 1 yr$76k 5 yr$27k debt

118$63,620$76,328$27,000 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

61 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

61———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

47 grads$42k 1 yr$54k 5 yr$19k debt

47$41,996$53,860$18,740 Social WorkCert.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

32 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

32———Real EstateCert.

31 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

31———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

30 grads$37k 1 yr$46k 5 yr$23k debt

30$37,121$46,155$22,943 Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

22 grads$35k 1 yr$45k 5 yr$21k debt

22$35,365$45,391$21,084

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 State College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Clark State College side by side →

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Public

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Transfer: 18%
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Transfer: 20%
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Lakeland Community College

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Students: 2,773
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 18%
Earnings: $40k

James A. Rhodes State College

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Students: 1,590
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $42k

Hocking College

Public

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Students: 1,311
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $38k

Colleges near Clark State College

Wittenberg University

Springfield, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,215 students

3 mi

Antioch College

Yellow Springs, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 121 students

8 mi

Antioch University

Yellow Springs, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 77 students

9 mi

Cedarville University

Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,024 students

10 mi

Ross Medical Education Center-Dayton

Fairborn, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 84 students

13 mi

Central State University

Wilberforce, OH · Public · Bachelor's · 2,620 students

13 mi

Payne Theological Seminary

Wilberforce, OH · Private nonprofit · Graduate

13 mi

Wilberforce University

Wilberforce, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 822 students

14 mi

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.