Clark University

Overview

Rankings

• #10 Best Education Colleges in Massachusetts
• #13 Best Psychology Colleges in Massachusetts
• #15 Best Biology Colleges in Massachusetts
• #16 Most Test-Optional-Friendly Colleges
• #16 Best MBA Programs in Massachusetts
• #21 Best Bachelor's Programs in Massachusetts
• #21 Best Master's Programs in Massachusetts
• #22 Best Computer Science Colleges in Massachusetts

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Clark University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 40%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,370. The graduation rate is roughly 77%.

Acceptance Rate

40%

Retention Rate

86%

SAT Average

1370

ACT Midpoint

29

SAT Range

1288–1460

ACT Range

30–33

Full-Time Faculty

100%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$12,471

Student–Faculty Ratio

9:1

Diversity Index

0.58

First-Gen Students

16%

Applicants

8,787

Admitted

4,422

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Clark University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 11% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

11%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

16%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

5%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Clark University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Clark University is $58,867, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $28,714. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $18,188 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $26,759 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$58,867

Out-of-State

$58,867

Avg Net Price

$28,714

Median Debt

$26,759

Pell Grant Rate

23%

Federal Loan Rate

58%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Clark University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Clark University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Clark University earn a median of $62,381, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$49,022

8 Years

$52,065

10 Years

$62,381

Debt-to-Earnings

0.43x

Earning > $25K

71%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Clark University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Clark University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.24%, among the highest in the country. About 5.3% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 42.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $103,000, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

2.24%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

42.5%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

5.3%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$139,941

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Clark University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Clark University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.70, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 17% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.70

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.00

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

16.7%

Support Ratio

1.00

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$2,075,000

Investment Income

$-31,757,000

Top Programs

The fields Clark University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Social Sciences 16% $46,265 early-career
• Psychology 16% $34,948 early-career
• Business & Marketing 10% $44,638 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 10% $41,024 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 8% $23,279 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 4% $88,611 early-career
• English & Literature 4% $33,980 early-career
• Education 3% $52,777 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.