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
$37,702
+$8.2k 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

6.6pp gap
Pell recipients
47%279 of 599
Non-Pell (all)
54%171 of 319
Subsidized loan, no Pell
50%92 of 183
No Federal Aid
58%79 of 136

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.6-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

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

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

Avg net price (private)
$37,702
+$8,157vs R2 Research median $29,545
Federal loans
80.2%
In-state tuition
$28,310
Out-of-state
$28,310

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 $17.9M in Pell grants, alongside $107.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,835
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$17.9M
$17,896,750 total
Direct Loans
$107.0M
8,935 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
3,012 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$9.1M
2,954 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$7.9M
461 loan awards
Parent PLUS$73.0M
2,244 loan awards
Grad PLUS$4.6M
264 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

737 total completions
01Business
18525.1%
02Communication
9212.5%
03Education
9012.2%
04Psychology
8211.1%
05Visual/Performing Arts
689.2%
06Security/Protective
669.0%
07Public Admin
547.3%
08Social Sciences
425.7%
09Biological Sciences
405.4%
10Computer Sciences
182.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
4,252
12-mo unduplicated
4,575
Undergraduate
3,833
Graduate
742

Gender split

Men
24%1,120
Women
76%3,455

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
53.9%
Unknown
38.5%
Two or more
5.6%
Hispanic
1.2%
White
0.3%
Non-resident
0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Asian
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
257
156 M · 101 W
Women athletes
39.3%
Athletic aid
$3.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$8.1M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.1M
$1.0M
Recruiting expense
$3K
$5K
Head-coach salaries
$78K
$39K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Football
101 M ·
$3.0M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
· 44 W
$259K
Basketball
16 M · 17 W
$1.6M
Baseball
30 M ·
$231K
Softball
· 24 W
$223K
Volleyball
· 17 W
$311K

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
6.05
25 offenses · 4,135 students

3-year trend

3.952 yrs ago6.501 yr ago6.05Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
67
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
21
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
9
Burglary
5
Rape
3
Aggravated assault
3
Arson
2
Fondling
2
Robbery
1

By location

25total
  • On campus16
  • Non-campus4
  • Public property5

Includes 10 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
8
Dating violence
4
Stalking
12 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons151
Drugs410
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

  • Heritage Commons3 fires
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • Heritage Commons3 fires
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • Heritage Commons3 fires
    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$37,702R2 Research
70%68.9%9,196$23,847R2 Research
89%21.7%9,322$28,719R2 Research
62%57.7%8,992$35,639R2 Research
63%73.2%20,910$30,371R2 Research
77%39.5%3,925$28,714R2 Research
Peer group median67%57.7%9,094$29,545

Institutions like Clark Atlanta

Explore the federal data for institutions in Clark Atlanta's comparison group.

Clark Atlanta Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Planning, Accreditation and Institutional Research
Reports to Office of the Provost
Phone
404-880-8061
Address
300, Kresge Hall, 223 James P Brawley Drive Atlanta, GA 30314

The mission of the Office of Planning, Accreditation and Institutional Research is to coordinate institution-wide planning, assessment and institutional research activities in support of the University's three-fold mission of teaching, research and service.

Visit IR office page

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 $37,702 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.

Who runs Institutional Research at Clark Atlanta University?

Clark Atlanta University's IR work is done by the Office of Planning, Accreditation and Institutional Research, which reports to Office of the Provost.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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