Clarkson University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Clarkson University

Clarkson University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Potsdam, New York (town: remote), with a total reported enrollment of 2,196 students of which 2,619 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Clarkson University is categorized as “16” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 77.4%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,304 and an ACT midpoint of 29. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $30,305, with published in-state tuition of $59,398 and a Pell grant recipient share of 21.6%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $26,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 74.3%, and the first-year retention rate is 84.8%. Graduates earn a median of $89,696 ten years after enrolling, compared with $76,970 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 141100.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 85.6% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.