R2 ResearchPrivate nonprofitHBCU

Clark Atlanta University

Atlanta, Georgia·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·cau.edu
6-yr Graduation
49%
-17.5pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
4,252
peer median 9,094
Avg net price
$35,115
+$5.1k vs R2 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
27,245
27,245 candidates competed
Admitted
17,497
64.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,000
5.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
49%-17.5pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
37%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
49%
Full-time retention
71%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
47%
Non-Pell
50%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 62 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 51 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
62
Passing
9
14.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
3.2% of portfolio
Fail rate
3.2%
+2.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

62programs
  • Passing9 · 14.5%
  • No Data51 · 82.3%
  • Failing2 · 3.2%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
9
No data
51

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

11
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-29.8%
$24,420 vs $34,808
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
-1.4%
$34,335 vs $34,808
Curriculum and Instruction
Bachelor Degree · Education
+27.8%
$44,498 vs $34,808
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+29.0%
$59,522 vs $46,158
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+30.3%
$45,368 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+30.5%
$45,413 vs $34,808
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+35.1%
$47,012 vs $34,808
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+36.0%
$62,780 vs $46,158

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
-1.4%
$473

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

11
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
130%
$81,308 debt · $62,780 earn
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
109%
$26,500 debt · $24,420 earn
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
103%
$61,500 debt · $59,522 earn
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
80%
$27,281 debt · $34,335 earn
Curriculum and Instruction
Bachelor Degree · Education
69%
$30,500 debt · $44,498 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
67%
$60,190 debt · $90,217 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
62%
$28,000 debt · $45,413 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
57%
$27,000 debt · $47,012 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1990Next review Dec 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 3

  1. Jun 2023Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jun 2022Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Dec 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$33,555
$30–48k$34,611
$48–75k$37,249
$75–110k$38,230
$110k+$39,940

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$35,115
+$5,091vs R2 Research median $30,025
Federal loans
87.9%
In-state tuition
$26,446
Out-of-state
$26,446

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 2,835 students received $17.8M in Pell grants, alongside $106.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,835
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$17.8M
$17,845,057 total
Direct Loans
$106.6M
8,883 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
3k
22
3k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$12.4M
2,993 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$9.0M
2,933 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$7.9M
455 loan awards
Parent PLUS$72.7M
2,240 loan awards
Grad PLUS$4.6M
262 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,299 borrowers who entered repayment, 53 (4.0%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.0%
+1.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,299
Defaulted
53
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.9%
2017
13.4%
2018
9.9%
2019
4.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Clark Atlanta

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs43
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

560 total completions
01Business
15026.8%
02Communication
8415.0%
03Public Admin
6812.1%
04Psychology
6311.3%
05Education
458.0%
06Visual/Performing Arts
417.3%
07Security/Protective
407.1%
08Biological Sciences
285.0%
09Social Sciences
234.1%
10Computer Sciences
183.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
4,252
12-mo unduplicated
4,394
Undergraduate
3,702
Graduate
692

Gender split

Men
25%1,080
Women
75%3,314

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
62.4%
Unknown
27.7%
Two or more
7.5%
Hispanic
1.5%
Non-resident
0.4%
White
0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Asian
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
219
136 M · 83 W
Women athletes
37.9%
Athletic aid
$3.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$6.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.1M
$1.0M
Recruiting expense
$6K
$8K
Head-coach salaries
$87K
$41K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Football
85 M ·
$2.3M
Basketball
15 M · 17 W
$1.2M
Baseball
32 M ·
$176K
Cross Country
9 M · 14 W
$285K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
· 22 W
$64K
Softball
· 19 W
$212K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
6.50
26 offenses · 4,000 students

3-year trend

3.712 yrs ago3.951 yr ago6.50Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
56
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
15
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
8
Aggravated assault
6
Robbery
5
Fondling
3
Motor vehicle theft
3
Arson
1

By location

26total
  • On campus20
  • Non-campus5
  • Public property1

Includes 14 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
2
Stalking
4 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons130
Drugs102
Liquor02

Residence-hall fires

  • CAU Suites 1001 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
203

Clark Atlanta vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Clark Atlanta selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectClark Atlanta University
49%4,252$35,115R2 Research
Mercer University
70%68.9%9,196$22,350R2 Research
Wake Forest University
89%21.7%9,322$28,746R2 Research
Florida Institute of Technology
62%57.7%8,992$35,300R2 Research
Nova Southeastern University
63%73.2%20,910$31,303R2 Research
Clark University
77%39.5%3,925$27,711R2 Research
Peer group median67%57.7%9,094$30,025

Frequently asked questions about Clark Atlanta University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Clark Atlanta.

What is the graduation rate at Clark Atlanta University?

Clark Atlanta University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 49% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Clark Atlanta University?

Clark Atlanta University reports a total enrollment of 4,252 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Clark Atlanta University?

The average net price at Clark Atlanta University is $35,115 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Clark Atlanta University?

Clark Atlanta University's yield rate is 5.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Clark Atlanta University located?

Clark Atlanta University is located in Atlanta, Georgia 30314.

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