Clarkson University

Overview

Rankings

• #6 Best Engineering Colleges in New York
• #8 Best MBA Programs for Healthcare Management
• #20 Best MBA Programs for Supply Chain Management
• #22 Best Online Colleges in New York
• #23 Best MBA Programs in New York
• #24 Best Computer Science Colleges in New York
• #24 Best Data Science Colleges in New York
• #24 Highest-Paying Online Bachelor's Programs

Academics & Admissions

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

As a private institution in Potsdam, New York, Clarkson University admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 77%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,304. The graduation rate is roughly 74%.

Acceptance Rate

77%

Retention Rate

85%

SAT Average

1304

ACT Midpoint

29

SAT Range

1200–1390

ACT Range

25–32

Full-Time Faculty

78%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$11,357

Student–Faculty Ratio

14:1

Diversity Index

0.43

First-Gen Students

15%

Applicants

6,594

Admitted

5,171

Cost & Financial Aid

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

Published tuition at Clarkson University is $59,398, 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 $30,305. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $21,335 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $26,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$59,398

Out-of-State

$59,398

Avg Net Price

$30,305

Median Debt

$26,000

Pell Grant Rate

22%

Federal Loan Rate

62%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Clarkson 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 Clarkson University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Clarkson University earn a median of $89,696, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

6 Years After Entry

$76,970

8 Years

$78,777

10 Years

$89,696

Debt-to-Earnings

0.29x

Earning > $25K

86%

Social Mobility

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

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

Clarkson 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 2.97%, among the highest in the country. About 5.6% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 53% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $94,600, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

2.97%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

53.0%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

5.6%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$128,528

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Clarkson 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 Clarkson University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.70, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.70

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.03

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

5.3%

Support Ratio

1.00

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-7,427,021

Top Programs

The fields Clarkson 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.

• Engineering 54% $90,849 early-career
• Business & Marketing 9% $65,423 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 6% $31,037 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 5% $92,767 early-career
• Psychology 5% $29,935 early-career
• Mathematics & Statistics 2% $78,358 early-career
• Physical Sciences 2% $58,290 early-career
• Health Professions 1% $127,583 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.