Clarkson University is an internationally ranked research university located in Potsdam, New York in the US. Approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled here across over 50 rigorous academic programs of study. Teaching is split across the School of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering and the Clarkson School.
The school is named after Thomas S. Clarkson, a local entrepreneur who died accidentally in a nearby sandstone quarry, risking his own life in an attempt to save a worker. The Clarkson family were important benefactors to the area and Clarkson University was founded in 1896 by the sisters of Thomas, originally called the Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial School of Technology.
In addition to its reputation for great career outcomes, innovative solutions to real-world and theoretical problems at the nexus of science, engineering, technology and business, the university is also well-known for the performance of its women’s and men’s hockey teams.
The main campus is in Potsdam, NY. located on the historic 640-acre wooded homestead of the Clarkson family in the foothills of the Adirondack Park. With four other universities in the nearby region, Potsdam is truly “a college town”.
The Clarkson community enjoys a constantly changing social scene and an unparalleled intellectual quality of life largely influenced by the school’s proximity to the north slope of the Adirondacks; easy drives to Lake Placid as well as Ottawa and Montreal, Canada; and a high level of regional camaraderie to encourage innovative partnerships in small business development, arts, tourism, recreation, agriculture and green energy.
There is also a branch campus, the Capital Region Campus, located in Schenectady, NY. It’s centrally located to many of Clarkson’s corporate partners for research, graduate education, talent development and alumni networking. The campus is less than 15 minutes from the state capital in Albany, and less than three hours from New York City, Syracuse and Boston.
One of the most noteworthy facilities at Clarkson University is the Center for Advanced Material Processing (CAMP), which forms alliances with industry, corporations and government to apply science, engineering and technology to improve their products, maintain their competitive edge, and foster economic development.
Students work with faculty in research, demonstration, and transfer of new technologies related to the synthesis and processing of advanced materials of value to industry and corporations. This prepares students to enter the workforce with knowledge and hands-on research experience on projects of importance to industry and corporations.
There are 65 countries represented on campus among the student body, with three percent of students at undergraduate level classed as international students. At the graduate level, about 16 percent of students are international.
Clarkson is home to a range of fraternities and sororities, as well as more than 130 clubs and organizations. Notable ones include the K2CC Amateur Radio Club, Golden Knotes (an a cappella group) and Clarkson Theater Company.
All undergraduate and graduate students are considered for merit funding during the admission process. On the undergraduate side, scholarships range from $5,000 to $30,000 annually. Decisions are made based on the applicant’s academic record.
For graduate students, there are partial scholarships, which are based on academic factors. The main factor in fully-funded assistantship decisions is the match between the student’s background and the department’s needs for research or teaching. Most fully funded offers are at the doctoral level.
Undergraduate students have a 93 percent placement rate within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or PhD in 2017, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2018 study.
One in five alumni of Clarkson University is a CEO, president or senior executive of a company or business.
Please check the specific English language requirements for your chosen course with the university.
