Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, Georgia · Also known as CAU · Website
$42,712
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$42,712
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Clark Atlanta University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Atlanta, Georgia with 3,603 undergraduates and 634 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $37,702 a year (tuition and fees $28,310). It admits 64% of applicants and 49% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $42,712 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$37,702
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$28,310
US median $11,837
Admission rate
64%
US median 78%
Completion rate
49%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$42,712
Rank 2,274 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $37,702
- Tuition and fees
- $28,310
- Cost of attendance
- $43,676
- Students with a need-based grant
- 70%
- Students with federal loans
- 80%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $37,356
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $39,270
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $39,009
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $39,514
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $38,680
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $21,945 in 2015-16 to $28,310 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 64%
- SAT reading, middle
- 497
- SAT math, middle
- 460
- ACT, middle
- 19
- Undergraduates
- 3,603
- Graduate students
- 634
- Part-time students
- 2.0%
- Women
- 77%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 49%
- Retention rate
- 71%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 61
- Endowment
- $116.5M
- Other
- Historically Black college, Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,274 of 5,094 US colleges and 48 of 140 in Georgia (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | GA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $37,702 | $16,487 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $28,310 | $8,578 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 64% | 74% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 49% | 42% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 71% | 66% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $16,542 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $28,097 | $33,044 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $42,712 | $38,579 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 31% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 47% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
61 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 100 | $27,000 | $21,413 | $34,335 | $50,497 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 81 | $27,000 | $30,518 | $53,911 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $27,000 | $22,328 | $45,368 | $50,706 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $27,000 | $27,715 | $47,012 | $55,378 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 38 | $57,519 | Withheld | $90,217 | $103,485 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 33 | $75,507 | $43,184 | $62,780 | $65,123 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $26,500 | $20,974 | $24,420 | $51,490 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $27,000 | $24,763 | $45,413 | $57,214 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionDoctoral | Doctoral | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $100,573 |
| Public AdministrationMaster's | Master's | 17 | $56,556 | $44,574 | $59,522 | $81,408 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $27,000 | $28,554 | Withheld | $63,293 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $92,374 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | $27,000 | $27,016 | $54,657 | $51,790 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
| Special Education and TeachingMaster's | Master's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,397 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $145,571 |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesDoctoral | Doctoral | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,534 |
| Social WorkDoctoral | Doctoral | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $98,285 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Atlanta and Georgia on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Georgia
- Homes: Homes for sale in Georgia
Questions and answers
How much does Clark Atlanta University cost?
$37,702 a year is the average net price at Clark Atlanta University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $28,310, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $43,676. Families earning under $30,000 pay $37,356 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Clark Atlanta University?
64% of applicants are admitted to Clark Atlanta University. The median admission rate of colleges in Georgia is 74%.
How much do Clark Atlanta University graduates earn?
$42,712 a year is the median pay of former Clark Atlanta University students who work, 10 years after they started ($28,097 after 6 years). That ranks 2,274 of 5,094 US colleges and 48 of 140 in Georgia. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Public Administration (Master's) at $44,574.
How much student debt do Clark Atlanta University graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Clark Atlanta University graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 80% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Clark Atlanta University?
49% of first-time, full-time students at Clark Atlanta University finish within 6 years. 71% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Clark Atlanta University?
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (100 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (81 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (57 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 61 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.