American University vs Clark University

American University and Clark University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. American University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on public affairs and international studies. Clark University, nestled in Worcester, Massachusetts, emphasizes the liberal arts and sciences, with a curriculum that encourages interdisciplinary exploration. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	American University	Clark University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Worcester, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	90.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	48.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $100
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1218 - 1403
ACT range	29 - 33	27 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	8,151
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	3,915
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	505
Yield rate	18.8%	12.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$62,302
Average net price	$28,622	$31,565
Tuition	$52,542	$49,950
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $6,000 Meal plan: $4,150
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	95.0% Average amount $27,608
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	60.0% Average amount $5,282
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	9.0% Average amount $16,271

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	2,302 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	1,048 Men 49.3% Women 50.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.6%	23.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,080	1,633
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi New York Connecticut Maine New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Business Mathematics and Statistics Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	79.0%
Dropout rate	20.9%	6.8%
Transferred out	N/A	14.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,187 Year 2: $97,907 Year 3: $111,993 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,205 Year 2: $99,458 Year 3: $107,216 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,099 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,734 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $85,544 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $80,276 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,267 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $78,002 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,356 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,697 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,014 Year 3: $76,448 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,460 Year 2: $63,692 Year 3: $73,342 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $72,861	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,601 Year 2: $64,328 Year 3: $76,941 Geography and Cartography (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,259 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $68,708 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,937 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,038 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,649 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $50,210 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,148 Year 2: $44,418 Year 3: $49,665 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,833 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $49,591 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,656 Year 2: $39,639 Year 3: $47,508 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,412 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $46,715 Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,423 Year 3: $46,559 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $46,250

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