Clarkson University vs United States Air Force Academy

Clarkson University and the United States Air Force Academy stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. Clarkson, a private research university in Potsdam, New York, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and is renowned for its engineering, business, and health sciences programs. In contrast, the United States Air Force Academy, a federal service academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, maintains a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of only 13%. Its curriculum emphasizes leadership, military science, and aeronautics, preparing cadets for careers as Air Force officers. While Clarkson's student body comprises 4,000 undergraduates, the Air Force Academy hosts a smaller cohort of approximately 4,000 cadets. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Clarkson reporting a 79% four-year graduation rate and the Air Force Academy achieving a remarkable 98% graduation rate. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we present a

	Clarkson University	United States Air Force Academy
Overview
Location	Potsdam, New York	USAF Academy, Colorado
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	80.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.6%	12.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1180 - 1380	1208 - 1490
ACT range	25 - 32	29 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	7,011	11,687
Total number of admissions given out	5,229	1,453
Admitted students who chose to enroll	740	1,091
Yield rate	14.2%	75.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$74,716
Average net price	$31,413
Tuition	$53,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,726 Meal plan: $7,518
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,981
Students receiving federal student loan	71.0% Average amount $5,323
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $16,547

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,852 Men 69.3% Women 30.7%	4,181 Men 71.4% Women 28.6%
Graduate students	1,101 Men 55.4% Women 44.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	N/A
Out-of-state students	34.8%	N/A
International students	8.6%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	2,482	4,200
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York Mississippi Connecticut Vermont New Hampshire	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Engineering Technologies Health Professions Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Engineering Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	75.6%	86.1%
Dropout rate	7.1%	13.9%
Transferred out	17.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $114,346 Year 2: $107,376 Year 3: $116,722 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,757 Year 2: $95,295 Year 3: $105,649 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,495 Year 2: $78,074 Year 3: $94,384 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,482 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,200 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,827 Year 2: $77,715 Year 3: $83,602 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,898 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $78,529 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,862 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,752 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,118 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $76,112 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $75,843 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,036 Year 2: $67,748 Year 3: $73,468	N/A

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Clarkson University vs United States Air Force Academy

Clarkson University

United States Air Force Academy

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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