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Admissions & selectivity

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# Clarkson University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/clarkson-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/clarkson-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/clarkson-university/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/clarkson-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/clarkson-university/similar/)

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## What is the acceptance rate at Clarkson University?

Clarkson University’s reported acceptance rate is 77.4%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
77.4%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

First-year applicants and admitted students · CDS 2025-26

**Applicants**
4,948

**Admitted**
4,082

Source: Clarkson University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

Clarkson University admits a larger share of applicants than its comparable institutions, with an admission rate of 77.4%. That rate is above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 4,948 first-year applicants, 4,082 admitted applicants, and 525 enrolled students.

## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Clarkson University students report?

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that the middle half of enrolled first-year SAT submitters scored from 1190 to 1360, with 49% submitting SAT scores. The corresponding ACT range for enrolled submitters was 26 to 31, and 7% submitted ACT scores.

These are ranges for enrolled students who submitted scores, not admission minimums. Among first-year students with a reported class rank, 46% fell within the upper tenth of their high-school class and 75% within the upper quarter.

Applicants can use 1190 to 1360 for SAT scores and 26 to 31 for ACT scores as reference points for recent enrolled submitters.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Clarkson University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

**49% of entering students submitted SAT scores**

SAT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
1190

**Median**
1270

**75th percentile**
1360

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

**7% of entering students submitted ACT scores**

ACT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
26

**Median**
29

**75th percentile**
31

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Source: Clarkson University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.

## Who enrolls at Clarkson University?

**Pell Grant recipients**
21.6%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
10.6%

**First-year retention**
84.8%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

Clarkson University enrolls 2,196 undergraduates, with Pell Grant recipients making up 21.6% of that population. An estimated 10.6% enter as transfers or part-time students, so the undergraduate body includes both students receiving federal grant aid and people continuing coursework begun elsewhere.

This composition describes who attends, rather than admission priorities or an individual applicant’s prospects. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 278 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 247 admitted, and 67 enrolled. The enrollment mix points to more than one route into the university.

Students beginning at Clarkson University see both early persistence and six-year completion above the corresponding peer medians. Within the first-time full-time cohort, 74.9% complete within six years, compared with 68.8% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The first-year retention rate is 84.8%, versus 83.4% among comparable institutions. Pell recipients in the cohort complete within six years at 77.7%, above the overall rate by 2.8 percentage points.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 88% of the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class returned the next fall. Enrolled students can expect these rates to describe patterns for entering cohorts rather than an individual timetable.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).