More selective than 65% of Georgia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $43,676. College Scorecard.
Higher than 73% of Georgia colleges we cover and 40% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 36% of Georgia colleges we cover and 19% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
CAU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 27,672 applicants, Clark Atlanta University admitted 17,884 and 1,069 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
CAU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What CAU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Clark Atlanta University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Georgia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $37,356 | $161,378 | 17.5 years |
| $30–48k | $39,270 | $169,646 | 18.4 years |
| $48–75k | $39,009 | $168,519 | 18.3 years |
| $75–110k | $39,514 | $170,700 | 18.6 years |
| $110k+ | $38,680 | $167,098 | 18.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (34% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($42,712) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in GA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $9,196 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
CAU majors, earnings & careers
Clark Atlanta University offers 29 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Arts & Design · 4
- Science & Math · 4
- Business & Finance · 3
- Education · 3
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at CAU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Social Work | $54,657 | $27,500 |
| Business Administration | $53,911 | $28,604 |
| Criminal Justice | $47,012 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $45,413 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $45,368 | $27,000 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | $44,498 | $31,000 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $34,335 | $28,500 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $24,420 | $27,427 |
Quick list of all 29 majors
- Accounting—
- Biology$45,413
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$34,335
- Business Administration$53,911
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice$47,012
- Curriculum and Instruction$44,498
- Demography—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- English—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$24,420
- History—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$45,368
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work$54,657
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Atlanta
Overall prices in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,762. Housing costs 11% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 52 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Fulton County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Fulton County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare CAU with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Georgia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark Atlanta University | 64% | $37,702 | 49% | $42,712 | This school |
| Berry College | 64% | $22,320 | 69% | $53,800 | |
| Reinhardt University | 62% | $24,425 | 44% | $46,541 | |
| LaGrange College | 62% | $20,875 | 47% | $51,745 | |
| Toccoa Falls College | 66% | $21,642 | 44% | $36,630 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Clark Atlanta University would cost you $15,382 more per year than Berry College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Clark Atlanta University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$13,376).
- Berry College gives aided families $28,403 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Georgia resident | CAU | Berry College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $28,310 | $41,686 | −$13,376 |
| Books & supplies | $1,900 | $1,000 | +$900 |
| Housing & meals | $12,018 | $14,230 | −$2,212 |
| Personal & travel | $3,312 | $2,224 | +$1,088 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,864 | −$2,443 | +$579 |
| Sticker price | $43,676 | $56,697 | −$13,021 |
| Average grants | −$5,974 | −$34,377 | +$28,403 |
| You pay | $37,702 | $22,320 | +$15,382 |
“+” means CAU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about CAU
What is the CAU acceptance rate?
Clark Atlanta University accepts 64% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 17,884 of 27,672 applicants were admitted.
How much does Clark Atlanta University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $43,676 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $37,702 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $37,356 and families earning $110k+ pay $38,680.
How much do CAU graduates earn?
Former Clark Atlanta University students earn a median $42,712 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the CAU graduation rate?
49% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 71% return for their second year.
How long does a CAU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Clark Atlanta University costs about $168,519 after grants ($39,009 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $42,712 ten years after starting, $9,196 more than high school graduates in Georgia ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 18.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Clark Atlanta University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/clark-atlanta-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).