COVID-19 Information: Please check the Admissions tab
Clarkson University is a private, international research university and proven leader in technological education and sustainable economic development. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) intersects with our scholarship, research, innovation and teaching through more than 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and health professions. With our 4,800+ students, we ignite connections across disciplines, industries and social cultures to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Alumni earn salaries that are among the top two percent in the USA and realize accelerated career growth. Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate programs, online networks and research facilities are based in New York State near industry partners in Saranac Lake, Schenectady, Beacon and New York City.
The favorite verse of our namesake Thomas S. Clarkson, “the workman that needeth not to be ashamed,” was the motto chosen by the founders when our doors opened in 1896 as a new kind of school that blended a technology-rich curriculum with other disciplines, and compelled faculty and students to always seek out the real needs of everyday people. Today, we continue to defy convention by going beyond the status quo of deep disciplinary knowledge. Everyone has opportunities and hands-on access to build the practical skillsets to stretch boundaries. Clarkson graduates emerge with the entrepreneurial competence to make sense of complex systems and forge connections across people and fields. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company.
Clarkson’s globally oriented faculty pursue interdisciplinary research focused on rapidly solving real world problems for a better future. Example signature areas of research include healthy global solutions, advanced materials development, computational and data-enabled discoveries, next generation medicine and healthcare, and STEM and entrepreneurial education. Our external network engages 380+ active partners in industry, government agencies, chambers of commerce and research organizations affording students access to world relevant problems to pursue with their professors as well as a direct pipeline to internships and careers after graduation. In addition to an engaged 44,000+ strong alumni community living in 87 countries, our global reach extends through the networks of our schools, ROTC command, research centers and institutes.
Independent think tank, Brookings Institution, validates the value of a Clarkson education by placing us in the top 10 universities in the United States for increasing our students' lifetime earnings potential. Our commitment to live and lead by example begins with the University Mission Statement, the Vision of a Clarkson Education, and our Clarkson Values.
Research centers further leverage the University’s scholarly strengths. The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP), a New York state Center for Advanced Technology, contains state-of-the-art research laboratories that enable faculty to pursue cutting-edge research and are accessible to undergraduates and graduate students for collaborative projects. The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) serves to integrate biomedical engineering and science with assistive and adaptive technologies and physical therapy to improve lives affected by disease or injury. Clarkson University and SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF) to co-lead a new Center of Excellence (CoE) in Healthy Water Solutions to deliver synergistic problem-solving on the wide range of water issues impacting the Empire State.
As a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) serves its affiliates in the rapidly growing areas of Biometric Identification and Credibility Assessment Technology through an interdisciplinary group of faculty, researchers and students. The Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science (C3S2) addresses the rapidly growing field of identifying and understanding causality in large-scale systems, as well as the hierarchical interactions, patterns and scaling of system components across a variety of fields, such as brain science, insect swarming, social science and fluid dynamics.
Clarkson University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Programs in aeronautical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, mechanical and software engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc. (ABET). Students who have completed at least three years toward a bachelor’s degree in engineering are eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination toward licensure as professional engineers. The Reh School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The undergraduate engineering and management program in the Reh School is also accredited by EAC ABET. The healthcare MBA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
The MAT program in the Department of Education has Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) accreditation until 2026. The physical therapy curriculum is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Provisional Accreditation to the physician assistant studies program. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has granted “Candidacy Status” to the occupational therapy program at Clarkson University.In addition, the University is accredited by the United States Civil Service Commission, and its curricula are approved by the New York State Board of Regents.
Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, on the historic 640-acre wooded homestead of the Clarkson family in the foothills of the Adirondack Park. With roughly 15,000+ year-round residents, the Village of Potsdam is nestled along the Raquette River in the heart of St. Lawrence County. It is home to a variety of shopping and dining experiences, an active downtown corridor, two world-class universities as well as outstanding recreational outlets. As another major employer and location for Clarkson internships and cooperative-education experiences, Canton-Potsdam Hospital (CPH) is a 94-bed facility with core programs in emergency medicine, acute care, hospitalist medicine and critical care supplemented by outpatient health services throughout the region. A number of physicians with an entrepreneurial spirit have been attracted to practice in the area based on CPH’s affiliation with Clarkson’ Shipley Center for Innovation which supports the commercialization of medical device technologies.
With four other universities in the immediate region (SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University, SUNY Canton and Paul Smith’s College), Potsdam is truly “a college town.” The Village of Potsdam is located on the banks of the beautiful Raquette River. The Village was the 2019 recipient of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant from New York state. Its tree-lined streets and historic red sandstone buildings contain an array of modern stores and restaurants. Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam are within walking distance of one another. Among the Village’s outstanding cultural features is the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, which offers extraordinary vocal and instrumental performances and concerts by world-class musicians.
Just an hour and a half from Clarkson is Lake Placid, a year-round resort town with all kinds of entertainment, shopping, dining and recreation. This famed Olympic site in the Adirondack Mountains offers not only a spectacular setting and world-class sporting events, but also a variety of unique experiences like wheeled bobsled rides, views from atop a former Olympic ski jump and a handicap-accessible elevator to the summit of Whiteface Mountain. Having hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid is renowned for winter sports. Clarkson took a major role in the region’s preparations to host the International Children’s Games in 2019 and the 2023 Winter World University Games.
As the home mountain for Clarkson’s ski teams, the downhill skiing at nearby Whiteface Mountain is unrivaled in the East, and regular roundtrip transportation to Whiteface as well as Titus Mountain is available from the Clarkson campus. The international Olympic flavor pervades the whole region. Olympic year-round training sites include not only the towering ski jump, but also the luge, speed skating, biathlon and bobsled facilities. Recreational opportunities abound throughout the year, ranging from golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, white water rafting, biking and sailing amid mountain splendor. Hiking trails abound; many faculty, staff and students become “46ers” in recognition of climbing all 46 peaks in the region. Caves that are hidden throughout the Adirondacks wait to be explored. The numerous lakes and rivers of the North Country offer kayaking, fishing and other rafting action as well as scuba diving and boat tours to see the shipwrecks and old forts from the War of 1812 in several waterways.
Two of Canada’s major cities are within a two-hour drive of the University. French-speaking Montreal is one of the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated cities in North America. Famed for the multicultural cuisine of its ethnically diverse restaurants and the glitter of its nightlife, this urban environment offers unique francophone experiences, including the charms of “Old Montreal” with echoes of 400 years of history. Destinations include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Arts and Montreal Canadiens hockey games, as well as performances in the arts and entertainment fields.
Ottawa, which is Canada’s capital, offers world-class cultural attractions, including the National Arts Centre, National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Civilization, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature and Parliament Hill, as well as A-list musical and stage performances. It is also home to the Ottawa Senators. A favorite local tradition shared by Clarkson students is skating on the famous Rideau Canal, which runs for miles through the city.
The Capital Region Campus
Clarkson’s Capital Region Campus, located in Schenectady, New York, and established through a merger with Union Graduate College, offers expanded opportunities for graduate and professional programs and serves as the graduate admissions and recruiting hub for the University. Centrally located to many of Clarkson’s corporate partners for research, graduate education, talent development and alumni networking, the campus also affords convenient transportation via train, air and automobile interstates. The Capital Region Campus is less than 15 minutes from the state capital in Albany and less than three hours from New York City, Syracuse and Boston.
Student life
Your university experience shapes your life.
At Clarkson, we want that experience to be balanced. We merge academics and extracurricular activities into what we like to think of as “serious fun.” We're known for our tight-knit community, where our students make lifelong connections and consider the people around them their Golden Knight family.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.
Diversity & Inclusion: The Clarkson community embraces all forms of diversity on our campus and strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment. We also believe it is essential for our students, faculty and staff members to be global citizens.
Activities & Clubs: What’s there to do on campus? The question should be, how will I find time to do it all? With more than 250 options — from anime to zombies —the chances are good that we have a club, team, or activity that matches your extracurricular passion. 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
Living on Campus: We want Clarkson to be your home away from home. There are plenty of living options, from comfortable, well equipped residence halls to living-learning communities that bring together students with shared interests. Expect a warm welcome!
Dining: You’re going to be hungry. We make sure that you have the food choices you want, when you want them, with dining options and meal plans that let you focus on the important things: academics, hands-on experiences and extracurricular fun.
Clarkson Ignite: Clarkson Ignite is our call to action and our framework to fast track-track innovation in an open environment. Part of Ignite is the President's Challenge, an annual competition for teams of students to solve a specific issue.
Careers & International Experiences: Some of the best experiences our undergraduate students have while at Clarkson aren't actually at Clarkson - internships, co-ops and studying abroad. Our International Center staff and Career Center will help you find the right places to visit and learn.
Explore the Region: From our home community, take a two-hour drive to the bustling Canadian cities of Ottawa or Montreal. Or head south into the Adirondack Mountains to experience some of the best outdoor recreation in the United States.
International Students & Scholars: International Student & Scholar Services staff assist all incoming international students & scholars to Clarkson University. Whether you are a full-time international student completing a degree at the University, an exchange student from one of our partner universities, or a visiting scholar, these pages will provide you with the information to make a smooth transition to Clarkson. We hope that your stay at Clarkson will be both pleasant and rewarding and you use the International Center as a resource of information as you navigate challenging & rewarding experiences. We look forward to getting to know you and again WELCOME you to CU!
Clarkson Athletics & Recreation
The Clarkson Golden Knights compete in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports — at the NCAA Division I-level in men’s and women’s hockey and at the NCAA Division III/USCSA-level in the other 18. Based on our historical presence as an ice hockey powerhouse, Clarkson is one of only a few institutions in the country that have been grandfathered in by the NCAA to allow students to compete in both levels of play. The Golden Knights’ women’s ice hockey team has won three D-1 National Championships in the last five years. The men’s team has a storied legacy in the sport since 1919, and, this past year, posted its best season record in over a decade. Led by a pep band that is the envy of our competitors, both teams enjoy a great fan following in Cheel Arena at home games – and on road trips often feel a sense of home-field advantage because of the number of students and alumni that turn out for away games.
In keeping with our winter climate during the academic year, the Alpine and Nordic ski teams have also enjoyed much recent success. Other sports offered include baseball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, softball and volleyball. Our volleyball team has been to the NCAAs for the past nine years and reached the Elite 8 for four of those years. Of our 450 student-athletes, 400 of them compete at the Division III level, with over 75% of those teams advancing to post season play. The high level at which our students compete is consistent with their dedication to their studies. The overall student-athlete GPA is 3.3 – significantly above that of the general student population.
All students are encouraged to participate in robust intramural leagues and recreational activities, and most facilities and fitness classes are available to faculty and staff as well. Clarkson’s main location in Potsdam provides students with a wide array of outdoor sporting opportunities, including individual and team challenges. The ROTC Program’s challenge course and the Munter Trails also intertwine with community recreation systems.
Admission
COVID-19 Information:
• What is the status of planned campus admission open days/tours? Clarkson is not conducting in-person events at this time.
• How is the university handling applicants whose exams have been cancelled? Starting in Fall 2021, Clarkson University will be test optional for all students who are seeking a bachelor’s degree. Students wishing to provide ACT or SAT test scores will have that information factored into their application review; those who do not provide scores will not be penalized. All students planning to take other standardized exams, such as A-levels, IB exams, WASSCE and other national exams, should provide predicted scores or results, if available.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, many typically require exams such as the GRE or GMAT. Please contact Graduate Admissions for assistance with questions concerning these exams and the potential for waivers or postponement of submission.
Most international students, at all levels, are required to provide evidence of English proficiency. The minimum scores for our English exam requirements are as follows: TOEFL 80; IELTS 6.5; PTE 56; Duolingo 115.
• What advice is the university offering to applicants unable to take an English-language test due to centers being closed? Clarkson accepts the Duolingo English Test, which is available online and does not require a test appointment. Other exam providers are planning for at-home testing. Check the TOEFL and IELTS websites for availability.
• How is the university supporting applicants whose visa applications have been delayed? Clarkson is monitoring the situation with visa appointments at local consulates around the world. We are issuing I-20 documents for those who are able to get appointments. Some students will get them at a later date, when visa interviews resume. I-20s will be reissued, as needed, if the original document expires before students are able to make an in-person interview appointment.
• Is the university still accepting applications? Are there any restrictions being placed on international applicants? Clarkson University is still accepting applications with no restrictions on international applicants.
• How are applications for university accommodation being handled? Admitted Fall 2020 undergraduate students can complete housing arrangements after they make their enrollment deposits. Limited housing is also available for graduate students.
• Is the university making any changes to entry requirements (i.e. test results, required documents)? Clarkson University is test-optional for bachelor’s admission beginning in Fall 2021.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, check the program-specific pages for GRE, GMAT, and Miller Analogies requirements.
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.
Careers
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or PhD in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
Plan for a rewarding career
Find the right co-op or internship
Develop professional and leadership skills
Improve job search skills
Connect with the best job and graduate school opportunities
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or Ph.D. in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
Plan for a rewarding career
Find the right co-op or internship
Develop professional and leadership skills
Improve job search skills
Connect with the best job and graduate school opportunities
We're 42,000+ strong in alumni alone. Add into that a vast array of corporate partners, educational institutions, and organizations, and you've got yourself an outstanding network of people all looking to hire Clarkson students and graduates.
Not only are our alumni employed at some of the nation's top companies, but 1 in 5 of them are also a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. This means that Clarkson grads are not only getting jobs at the companies they want, but they are also seen as leaders, too. These influential Clarkson alumni frequently come back to campus to create new opportunities for Clarkson students, share their professional wisdom and recruit top talent.
COVID-19 Information: Please check the Admissions tab
Clarkson University is a private, international research university and proven leader in technological education and sustainable economic development. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) intersects with our scholarship, research, innovation and teaching through more than 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and health professions. With our 4,800+ students, we ignite connections across disciplines, industries and social cultures to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Alumni earn salaries that are among the top two percent in the USA and realize accelerated career growth. Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate programs, online networks and research facilities are based in New York State near industry partners in Saranac Lake, Schenectady, Beacon and New York City.
The favorite verse of our namesake Thomas S. Clarkson, “the workman that needeth not to be ashamed,” was the motto chosen by the founders when our doors opened in 1896 as a new kind of school that blended a technology-rich curriculum with other disciplines, and compelled faculty and students to always seek out the real needs of everyday people. Today, we continue to defy convention by going beyond the status quo of deep disciplinary knowledge. Everyone has opportunities and hands-on access to build the practical skillsets to stretch boundaries. Clarkson graduates emerge with the entrepreneurial competence to make sense of complex systems and forge connections across people and fields. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company.
Clarkson’s globally oriented faculty pursue interdisciplinary research focused on rapidly solving real world problems for a better future. Example signature areas of research include healthy global solutions, advanced materials development, computational and data-enabled discoveries, next generation medicine and healthcare, and STEM and entrepreneurial education. Our external network engages 380+ active partners in industry, government agencies, chambers of commerce and research organizations affording students access to world relevant problems to pursue with their professors as well as a direct pipeline to internships and careers after graduation. In addition to an engaged 44,000+ strong alumni community living in 87 countries, our global reach extends through the networks of our schools, ROTC command, research centers and institutes.
Independent think tank, Brookings Institution, validates the value of a Clarkson education by placing us in the top 10 universities in the United States for increasing our students' lifetime earnings potential. Our commitment to live and lead by example begins with the University Mission Statement, the Vision of a Clarkson Education, and our Clarkson Values.
Research centers further leverage the University’s scholarly strengths. The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP), a New York state Center for Advanced Technology, contains state-of-the-art research laboratories that enable faculty to pursue cutting-edge research and are accessible to undergraduates and graduate students for collaborative projects. The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) serves to integrate biomedical engineering and science with assistive and adaptive technologies and physical therapy to improve lives affected by disease or injury. Clarkson University and SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF) to co-lead a new Center of Excellence (CoE) in Healthy Water Solutions to deliver synergistic problem-solving on the wide range of water issues impacting the Empire State.
As a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) serves its affiliates in the rapidly growing areas of Biometric Identification and Credibility Assessment Technology through an interdisciplinary group of faculty, researchers and students. The Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science (C3S2) addresses the rapidly growing field of identifying and understanding causality in large-scale systems, as well as the hierarchical interactions, patterns and scaling of system components across a variety of fields, such as brain science, insect swarming, social science and fluid dynamics.
Clarkson University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Programs in aeronautical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, mechanical and software engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc. (ABET). Students who have completed at least three years toward a bachelor’s degree in engineering are eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination toward licensure as professional engineers. The Reh School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The undergraduate engineering and management program in the Reh School is also accredited by EAC ABET. The healthcare MBA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
The MAT program in the Department of Education has Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) accreditation until 2026. The physical therapy curriculum is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Provisional Accreditation to the physician assistant studies program. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has granted “Candidacy Status” to the occupational therapy program at Clarkson University.In addition, the University is accredited by the United States Civil Service Commission, and its curricula are approved by the New York State Board of Regents.
Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, on the historic 640-acre wooded homestead of the Clarkson family in the foothills of the Adirondack Park. With roughly 15,000+ year-round residents, the Village of Potsdam is nestled along the Raquette River in the heart of St. Lawrence County. It is home to a variety of shopping and dining experiences, an active downtown corridor, two world-class universities as well as outstanding recreational outlets. As another major employer and location for Clarkson internships and cooperative-education experiences, Canton-Potsdam Hospital (CPH) is a 94-bed facility with core programs in emergency medicine, acute care, hospitalist medicine and critical care supplemented by outpatient health services throughout the region. A number of physicians with an entrepreneurial spirit have been attracted to practice in the area based on CPH’s affiliation with Clarkson’ Shipley Center for Innovation which supports the commercialization of medical device technologies.
With four other universities in the immediate region (SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University, SUNY Canton and Paul Smith’s College), Potsdam is truly “a college town.” The Village of Potsdam is located on the banks of the beautiful Raquette River. The Village was the 2019 recipient of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant from New York state. Its tree-lined streets and historic red sandstone buildings contain an array of modern stores and restaurants. Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam are within walking distance of one another. Among the Village’s outstanding cultural features is the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, which offers extraordinary vocal and instrumental performances and concerts by world-class musicians.
Just an hour and a half from Clarkson is Lake Placid, a year-round resort town with all kinds of entertainment, shopping, dining and recreation. This famed Olympic site in the Adirondack Mountains offers not only a spectacular setting and world-class sporting events, but also a variety of unique experiences like wheeled bobsled rides, views from atop a former Olympic ski jump and a handicap-accessible elevator to the summit of Whiteface Mountain. Having hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid is renowned for winter sports. Clarkson took a major role in the region’s preparations to host the International Children’s Games in 2019 and the 2023 Winter World University Games.
As the home mountain for Clarkson’s ski teams, the downhill skiing at nearby Whiteface Mountain is unrivaled in the East, and regular roundtrip transportation to Whiteface as well as Titus Mountain is available from the Clarkson campus. The international Olympic flavor pervades the whole region. Olympic year-round training sites include not only the towering ski jump, but also the luge, speed skating, biathlon and bobsled facilities. Recreational opportunities abound throughout the year, ranging from golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, white water rafting, biking and sailing amid mountain splendor. Hiking trails abound; many faculty, staff and students become “46ers” in recognition of climbing all 46 peaks in the region. Caves that are hidden throughout the Adirondacks wait to be explored. The numerous lakes and rivers of the North Country offer kayaking, fishing and other rafting action as well as scuba diving and boat tours to see the shipwrecks and old forts from the War of 1812 in several waterways.
Two of Canada’s major cities are within a two-hour drive of the University. French-speaking Montreal is one of the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated cities in North America. Famed for the multicultural cuisine of its ethnically diverse restaurants and the glitter of its nightlife, this urban environment offers unique francophone experiences, including the charms of “Old Montreal” with echoes of 400 years of history. Destinations include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Arts and Montreal Canadiens hockey games, as well as performances in the arts and entertainment fields.
Ottawa, which is Canada’s capital, offers world-class cultural attractions, including the National Arts Centre, National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Civilization, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature and Parliament Hill, as well as A-list musical and stage performances. It is also home to the Ottawa Senators. A favorite local tradition shared by Clarkson students is skating on the famous Rideau Canal, which runs for miles through the city.
The Capital Region Campus
Clarkson’s Capital Region Campus, located in Schenectady, New York, and established through a merger with Union Graduate College, offers expanded opportunities for graduate and professional programs and serves as the graduate admissions and recruiting hub for the University. Centrally located to many of Clarkson’s corporate partners for research, graduate education, talent development and alumni networking, the campus also affords convenient transportation via train, air and automobile interstates. The Capital Region Campus is less than 15 minutes from the state capital in Albany and less than three hours from New York City, Syracuse and Boston.
Your university experience shapes your life.
At Clarkson, we want that experience to be balanced. We merge academics and extracurricular activities into what we like to think of as “serious fun.” We're known for our tight-knit community, where our students make lifelong connections and consider the people around them their Golden Knight family.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.
Diversity & Inclusion: The Clarkson community embraces all forms of diversity on our campus and strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment. We also believe it is essential for our students, faculty and staff members to be global citizens.
Activities & Clubs: What’s there to do on campus? The question should be, how will I find time to do it all? With more than 250 options — from anime to zombies —the chances are good that we have a club, team, or activity that matches your extracurricular passion. 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
Living on Campus: We want Clarkson to be your home away from home. There are plenty of living options, from comfortable, well equipped residence halls to living-learning communities that bring together students with shared interests. Expect a warm welcome!
Dining: You’re going to be hungry. We make sure that you have the food choices you want, when you want them, with dining options and meal plans that let you focus on the important things: academics, hands-on experiences and extracurricular fun.
Clarkson Ignite: Clarkson Ignite is our call to action and our framework to fast track-track innovation in an open environment. Part of Ignite is the President's Challenge, an annual competition for teams of students to solve a specific issue.
Careers & International Experiences: Some of the best experiences our undergraduate students have while at Clarkson aren't actually at Clarkson - internships, co-ops and studying abroad. Our International Center staff and Career Center will help you find the right places to visit and learn.
Explore the Region: From our home community, take a two-hour drive to the bustling Canadian cities of Ottawa or Montreal. Or head south into the Adirondack Mountains to experience some of the best outdoor recreation in the United States.
International Students & Scholars: International Student & Scholar Services staff assist all incoming international students & scholars to Clarkson University. Whether you are a full-time international student completing a degree at the University, an exchange student from one of our partner universities, or a visiting scholar, these pages will provide you with the information to make a smooth transition to Clarkson. We hope that your stay at Clarkson will be both pleasant and rewarding and you use the International Center as a resource of information as you navigate challenging & rewarding experiences. We look forward to getting to know you and again WELCOME you to CU!
Clarkson Athletics & Recreation
The Clarkson Golden Knights compete in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports — at the NCAA Division I-level in men’s and women’s hockey and at the NCAA Division III/USCSA-level in the other 18. Based on our historical presence as an ice hockey powerhouse, Clarkson is one of only a few institutions in the country that have been grandfathered in by the NCAA to allow students to compete in both levels of play. The Golden Knights’ women’s ice hockey team has won three D-1 National Championships in the last five years. The men’s team has a storied legacy in the sport since 1919, and, this past year, posted its best season record in over a decade. Led by a pep band that is the envy of our competitors, both teams enjoy a great fan following in Cheel Arena at home games – and on road trips often feel a sense of home-field advantage because of the number of students and alumni that turn out for away games.
In keeping with our winter climate during the academic year, the Alpine and Nordic ski teams have also enjoyed much recent success. Other sports offered include baseball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, softball and volleyball. Our volleyball team has been to the NCAAs for the past nine years and reached the Elite 8 for four of those years. Of our 450 student-athletes, 400 of them compete at the Division III level, with over 75% of those teams advancing to post season play. The high level at which our students compete is consistent with their dedication to their studies. The overall student-athlete GPA is 3.3 – significantly above that of the general student population.
All students are encouraged to participate in robust intramural leagues and recreational activities, and most facilities and fitness classes are available to faculty and staff as well. Clarkson’s main location in Potsdam provides students with a wide array of outdoor sporting opportunities, including individual and team challenges. The ROTC Program’s challenge course and the Munter Trails also intertwine with community recreation systems.
COVID-19 Information:
• What is the status of planned campus admission open days/tours? Clarkson is not conducting in-person events at this time.
• How is the university handling applicants whose exams have been cancelled? Starting in Fall 2021, Clarkson University will be test optional for all students who are seeking a bachelor’s degree. Students wishing to provide ACT or SAT test scores will have that information factored into their application review; those who do not provide scores will not be penalized. All students planning to take other standardized exams, such as A-levels, IB exams, WASSCE and other national exams, should provide predicted scores or results, if available.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, many typically require exams such as the GRE or GMAT. Please contact Graduate Admissions for assistance with questions concerning these exams and the potential for waivers or postponement of submission.
Most international students, at all levels, are required to provide evidence of English proficiency. The minimum scores for our English exam requirements are as follows: TOEFL 80; IELTS 6.5; PTE 56; Duolingo 115.
• What advice is the university offering to applicants unable to take an English-language test due to centers being closed? Clarkson accepts the Duolingo English Test, which is available online and does not require a test appointment. Other exam providers are planning for at-home testing. Check the TOEFL and IELTS websites for availability.
• How is the university supporting applicants whose visa applications have been delayed? Clarkson is monitoring the situation with visa appointments at local consulates around the world. We are issuing I-20 documents for those who are able to get appointments. Some students will get them at a later date, when visa interviews resume. I-20s will be reissued, as needed, if the original document expires before students are able to make an in-person interview appointment.
• Is the university still accepting applications? Are there any restrictions being placed on international applicants? Clarkson University is still accepting applications with no restrictions on international applicants.
• How are applications for university accommodation being handled? Admitted Fall 2020 undergraduate students can complete housing arrangements after they make their enrollment deposits. Limited housing is also available for graduate students.
• Is the university making any changes to entry requirements (i.e. test results, required documents)? Clarkson University is test-optional for bachelor’s admission beginning in Fall 2021.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, check the program-specific pages for GRE, GMAT, and Miller Analogies requirements.
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.
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or PhD in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
Plan for a rewarding career
Find the right co-op or internship
Develop professional and leadership skills
Improve job search skills
Connect with the best job and graduate school opportunities
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or Ph.D. in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
Plan for a rewarding career
Find the right co-op or internship
Develop professional and leadership skills
Improve job search skills
Connect with the best job and graduate school opportunities
We're 42,000+ strong in alumni alone. Add into that a vast array of corporate partners, educational institutions, and organizations, and you've got yourself an outstanding network of people all looking to hire Clarkson students and graduates.
Not only are our alumni employed at some of the nation's top companies, but 1 in 5 of them are also a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. This means that Clarkson grads are not only getting jobs at the companies they want, but they are also seen as leaders, too. These influential Clarkson alumni frequently come back to campus to create new opportunities for Clarkson students, share their professional wisdom and recruit top talent.
The Scholarships above offer some form of financial aid to prospective students. Please always check the specific requirements and restrictions on scholarship availability.
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Clarkson University
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Clarkson University
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COVID-19 Information: Please check the Admissions tab
Clarkson University is a private, international research university and proven leader in technological education and sustainable economic development. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) intersects with our scholarship, research, innovation and teaching through more than 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and health professions. With our 4,800+ students, we ignite connections across disciplines, industries and social cultures to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Alumni earn salaries that are among the top two percent in the USA and realize accelerated career growth. Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate programs, online networks and research facilities are based in New York State near industry partners in Saranac Lake, Schenectady, Beacon and New York City.
The favorite verse of our namesake Thomas S. Clarkson, “the workman that needeth not to be ashamed,” was the motto chosen by the founders when our doors opened in 1896 as a new kind of school that blended a technology-rich curriculum with other disciplines, and compelled faculty and students to always seek out the real needs of everyday people. Today, we continue to defy convention by going beyond the status quo of deep disciplinary knowledge. Everyone has opportunities and hands-on access to build the practical skillsets to stretch boundaries. Clarkson graduates emerge with the entrepreneurial competence to make sense of complex systems and forge connections across people and fields. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company.
Clarkson’s globally oriented faculty pursue interdisciplinary research focused on rapidly solving real world problems for a better future. Example signature areas of research include healthy global solutions, advanced materials development, computational and data-enabled discoveries, next generation medicine and healthcare, and STEM and entrepreneurial education. Our external network engages 380+ active partners in industry, government agencies, chambers of commerce and research organizations affording students access to world relevant problems to pursue with their professors as well as a direct pipeline to internships and careers after graduation. In addition to an engaged 44,000+ strong alumni community living in 87 countries, our global reach extends through the networks of our schools, ROTC command, research centers and institutes.
Independent think tank, Brookings Institution, validates the value of a Clarkson education by placing us in the top 10 universities in the United States for increasing our students' lifetime earnings potential. Our commitment to live and lead by example begins with the University Mission Statement, the Vision of a Clarkson Education, and our Clarkson Values.
Clarkson’s major academic units are the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering, the David D. Reh School of Business, the School of Arts & Sciences, the Earl R. and Barbara D. Lewis School of Health Sciences, the Graduate School, The Clarkson School (a unique academy for high school-age students who begin college early) and Sponsored Research Services, which oversees a $13.9 million portfolio of contracts. Three institutes also support key areas of interdisciplinary research, educational programs and public outreach. These are the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, the Institute for STEM Education and the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries.
Research centers further leverage the University’s scholarly strengths. The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP), a New York state Center for Advanced Technology, contains state-of-the-art research laboratories that enable faculty to pursue cutting-edge research and are accessible to undergraduates and graduate students for collaborative projects. The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) serves to integrate biomedical engineering and science with assistive and adaptive technologies and physical therapy to improve lives affected by disease or injury. Clarkson University and SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF) to co-lead a new Center of Excellence (CoE) in Healthy Water Solutions to deliver synergistic problem-solving on the wide range of water issues impacting the Empire State.
As a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) serves its affiliates in the rapidly growing areas of Biometric Identification and Credibility Assessment Technology through an interdisciplinary group of faculty, researchers and students. The Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science (C3S2) addresses the rapidly growing field of identifying and understanding causality in large-scale systems, as well as the hierarchical interactions, patterns and scaling of system components across a variety of fields, such as brain science, insect swarming, social science and fluid dynamics.
Clarkson University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Programs in aeronautical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, mechanical and software engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc. (ABET). Students who have completed at least three years toward a bachelor’s degree in engineering are eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination toward licensure as professional engineers. The Reh School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The undergraduate engineering and management program in the Reh School is also accredited by EAC ABET. The healthcare MBA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
The MAT program in the Department of Education has Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) accreditation until 2026. The physical therapy curriculum is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Provisional Accreditation to the physician assistant studies program. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has granted “Candidacy Status” to the occupational therapy program at Clarkson University.In addition, the University is accredited by the United States Civil Service Commission, and its curricula are approved by the New York State Board of Regents.
Potsdam and New York's "North Country"
Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, on the historic 640-acre wooded homestead of the Clarkson family in the foothills of the Adirondack Park. With roughly 15,000+ year-round residents, the Village of Potsdam is nestled along the Raquette River in the heart of St. Lawrence County. It is home to a variety of shopping and dining experiences, an active downtown corridor, two world-class universities as well as outstanding recreational outlets. As another major employer and location for Clarkson internships and cooperative-education experiences, Canton-Potsdam Hospital (CPH) is a 94-bed facility with core programs in emergency medicine, acute care, hospitalist medicine and critical care supplemented by outpatient health services throughout the region. A number of physicians with an entrepreneurial spirit have been attracted to practice in the area based on CPH’s affiliation with Clarkson’ Shipley Center for Innovation which supports the commercialization of medical device technologies.
With four other universities in the immediate region (SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University, SUNY Canton and Paul Smith’s College), Potsdam is truly “a college town.” The Village of Potsdam is located on the banks of the beautiful Raquette River. The Village was the 2019 recipient of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant from New York state. Its tree-lined streets and historic red sandstone buildings contain an array of modern stores and restaurants. Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam are within walking distance of one another. Among the Village’s outstanding cultural features is the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, which offers extraordinary vocal and instrumental performances and concerts by world-class musicians.
Just an hour and a half from Clarkson is Lake Placid, a year-round resort town with all kinds of entertainment, shopping, dining and recreation. This famed Olympic site in the Adirondack Mountains offers not only a spectacular setting and world-class sporting events, but also a variety of unique experiences like wheeled bobsled rides, views from atop a former Olympic ski jump and a handicap-accessible elevator to the summit of Whiteface Mountain. Having hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid is renowned for winter sports. Clarkson took a major role in the region’s preparations to host the International Children’s Games in 2019 and the 2023 Winter World University Games.
As the home mountain for Clarkson’s ski teams, the downhill skiing at nearby Whiteface Mountain is unrivaled in the East, and regular roundtrip transportation to Whiteface as well as Titus Mountain is available from the Clarkson campus. The international Olympic flavor pervades the whole region. Olympic year-round training sites include not only the towering ski jump, but also the luge, speed skating, biathlon and bobsled facilities. Recreational opportunities abound throughout the year, ranging from golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, white water rafting, biking and sailing amid mountain splendor. Hiking trails abound; many faculty, staff and students become “46ers” in recognition of climbing all 46 peaks in the region. Caves that are hidden throughout the Adirondacks wait to be explored. The numerous lakes and rivers of the North Country offer kayaking, fishing and other rafting action as well as scuba diving and boat tours to see the shipwrecks and old forts from the War of 1812 in several waterways.
Two of Canada’s major cities are within a two-hour drive of the University. French-speaking Montreal is one of the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated cities in North America. Famed for the multicultural cuisine of its ethnically diverse restaurants and the glitter of its nightlife, this urban environment offers unique francophone experiences, including the charms of “Old Montreal” with echoes of 400 years of history. Destinations include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Arts and Montreal Canadiens hockey games, as well as performances in the arts and entertainment fields.
Ottawa, which is Canada’s capital, offers world-class cultural attractions, including the National Arts Centre, National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Civilization, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature and Parliament Hill, as well as A-list musical and stage performances. It is also home to the Ottawa Senators. A favorite local tradition shared by Clarkson students is skating on the famous Rideau Canal, which runs for miles through the city.
The Capital Region CampusClarkson’s Capital Region Campus, located in Schenectady, New York, and established through a merger with Union Graduate College, offers expanded opportunities for graduate and professional programs and serves as the graduate admissions and recruiting hub for the University. Centrally located to many of Clarkson’s corporate partners for research, graduate education, talent development and alumni networking, the campus also affords convenient transportation via train, air and automobile interstates. The Capital Region Campus is less than 15 minutes from the state capital in Albany and less than three hours from New York City, Syracuse and Boston.
At Clarkson, we want that experience to be balanced. We merge academics and extracurricular activities into what we like to think of as “serious fun.” We're known for our tight-knit community, where our students make lifelong connections and consider the people around them their Golden Knight family.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.
Diversity & Inclusion: The Clarkson community embraces all forms of diversity on our campus and strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment. We also believe it is essential for our students, faculty and staff members to be global citizens.
Activities & Clubs: What’s there to do on campus? The question should be, how will I find time to do it all? With more than 250 options — from anime to zombies —the chances are good that we have a club, team, or activity that matches your extracurricular passion. 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
Living on Campus: We want Clarkson to be your home away from home. There are plenty of living options, from comfortable, well equipped residence halls to living-learning communities that bring together students with shared interests. Expect a warm welcome!
Dining: You’re going to be hungry. We make sure that you have the food choices you want, when you want them, with dining options and meal plans that let you focus on the important things: academics, hands-on experiences and extracurricular fun.
Clarkson Ignite: Clarkson Ignite is our call to action and our framework to fast track-track innovation in an open environment. Part of Ignite is the President's Challenge, an annual competition for teams of students to solve a specific issue.
Careers & International Experiences: Some of the best experiences our undergraduate students have while at Clarkson aren't actually at Clarkson - internships, co-ops and studying abroad. Our International Center staff and Career Center will help you find the right places to visit and learn.
Explore the Region: From our home community, take a two-hour drive to the bustling Canadian cities of Ottawa or Montreal. Or head south into the Adirondack Mountains to experience some of the best outdoor recreation in the United States.
International Students & Scholars: International Student & Scholar Services staff assist all incoming international students & scholars to Clarkson University. Whether you are a full-time international student completing a degree at the University, an exchange student from one of our partner universities, or a visiting scholar, these pages will provide you with the information to make a smooth transition to Clarkson. We hope that your stay at Clarkson will be both pleasant and rewarding and you use the International Center as a resource of information as you navigate challenging & rewarding experiences. We look forward to getting to know you and again WELCOME you to CU!
Clarkson Athletics & Recreation
The Clarkson Golden Knights compete in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports — at the NCAA Division I-level in men’s and women’s hockey and at the NCAA Division III/USCSA-level in the other 18. Based on our historical presence as an ice hockey powerhouse, Clarkson is one of only a few institutions in the country that have been grandfathered in by the NCAA to allow students to compete in both levels of play. The Golden Knights’ women’s ice hockey team has won three D-1 National Championships in the last five years. The men’s team has a storied legacy in the sport since 1919, and, this past year, posted its best season record in over a decade. Led by a pep band that is the envy of our competitors, both teams enjoy a great fan following in Cheel Arena at home games – and on road trips often feel a sense of home-field advantage because of the number of students and alumni that turn out for away games.
In keeping with our winter climate during the academic year, the Alpine and Nordic ski teams have also enjoyed much recent success. Other sports offered include baseball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, softball and volleyball. Our volleyball team has been to the NCAAs for the past nine years and reached the Elite 8 for four of those years. Of our 450 student-athletes, 400 of them compete at the Division III level, with over 75% of those teams advancing to post season play. The high level at which our students compete is consistent with their dedication to their studies. The overall student-athlete GPA is 3.3 – significantly above that of the general student population.
All students are encouraged to participate in robust intramural leagues and recreational activities, and most facilities and fitness classes are available to faculty and staff as well. Clarkson’s main location in Potsdam provides students with a wide array of outdoor sporting opportunities, including individual and team challenges. The ROTC Program’s challenge course and the Munter Trails also intertwine with community recreation systems.
COVID-19 Information:
• What is the status of planned campus admission open days/tours?
Clarkson is not conducting in-person events at this time.
• How can applicants contact the university about their application?
Please fill in this form to get in touch with the University.
• How is the university handling applicants whose exams have been cancelled?
Starting in Fall 2021, Clarkson University will be test optional for all students who are seeking a bachelor’s degree. Students wishing to provide ACT or SAT test scores will have that information factored into their application review; those who do not provide scores will not be penalized. All students planning to take other standardized exams, such as A-levels, IB exams, WASSCE and other national exams, should provide predicted scores or results, if available.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, many typically require exams such as the GRE or GMAT. Please contact Graduate Admissions for assistance with questions concerning these exams and the potential for waivers or postponement of submission.
Most international students, at all levels, are required to provide evidence of English proficiency. The minimum scores for our English exam requirements are as follows: TOEFL 80; IELTS 6.5; PTE 56; Duolingo 115.
• What advice is the university offering to applicants unable to take an English-language test due to centers being closed?
Clarkson accepts the Duolingo English Test, which is available online and does not require a test appointment. Other exam providers are planning for at-home testing. Check the TOEFL and IELTS websites for availability.
• How is the university supporting applicants whose visa applications have been delayed?
Clarkson is monitoring the situation with visa appointments at local consulates around the world. We are issuing I-20 documents for those who are able to get appointments. Some students will get them at a later date, when visa interviews resume. I-20s will be reissued, as needed, if the original document expires before students are able to make an in-person interview appointment.
• Is the university still accepting applications? Are there any restrictions being placed on international applicants?
Clarkson University is still accepting applications with no restrictions on international applicants.
• How are applications for university accommodation being handled?
Admitted Fall 2020 undergraduate students can complete housing arrangements after they make their enrollment deposits. Limited housing is also available for graduate students.
• Is the university making any changes to entry requirements (i.e. test results, required documents)?
Clarkson University is test-optional for bachelor’s admission beginning in Fall 2021.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, check the program-specific pages for GRE, GMAT, and Miller Analogies requirements.
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.
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or PhD in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or Ph.D. in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
We're 42,000+ strong in alumni alone. Add into that a vast array of corporate partners, educational institutions, and organizations, and you've got yourself an outstanding network of people all looking to hire Clarkson students and graduates.
Not only are our alumni employed at some of the nation's top companies, but 1 in 5 of them are also a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. This means that Clarkson grads are not only getting jobs at the companies they want, but they are also seen as leaders, too. These influential Clarkson alumni frequently come back to campus to create new opportunities for Clarkson students, share their professional wisdom and recruit top talent.
Learn more about the Career Center
About
COVID-19 Information: Please check the Admissions tab
Clarkson University is a private, international research university and proven leader in technological education and sustainable economic development. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) intersects with our scholarship, research, innovation and teaching through more than 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and health professions. With our 4,800+ students, we ignite connections across disciplines, industries and social cultures to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Alumni earn salaries that are among the top two percent in the USA and realize accelerated career growth. Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate programs, online networks and research facilities are based in New York State near industry partners in Saranac Lake, Schenectady, Beacon and New York City.
The favorite verse of our namesake Thomas S. Clarkson, “the workman that needeth not to be ashamed,” was the motto chosen by the founders when our doors opened in 1896 as a new kind of school that blended a technology-rich curriculum with other disciplines, and compelled faculty and students to always seek out the real needs of everyday people. Today, we continue to defy convention by going beyond the status quo of deep disciplinary knowledge. Everyone has opportunities and hands-on access to build the practical skillsets to stretch boundaries. Clarkson graduates emerge with the entrepreneurial competence to make sense of complex systems and forge connections across people and fields. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company.
Clarkson’s globally oriented faculty pursue interdisciplinary research focused on rapidly solving real world problems for a better future. Example signature areas of research include healthy global solutions, advanced materials development, computational and data-enabled discoveries, next generation medicine and healthcare, and STEM and entrepreneurial education. Our external network engages 380+ active partners in industry, government agencies, chambers of commerce and research organizations affording students access to world relevant problems to pursue with their professors as well as a direct pipeline to internships and careers after graduation. In addition to an engaged 44,000+ strong alumni community living in 87 countries, our global reach extends through the networks of our schools, ROTC command, research centers and institutes.
Independent think tank, Brookings Institution, validates the value of a Clarkson education by placing us in the top 10 universities in the United States for increasing our students' lifetime earnings potential. Our commitment to live and lead by example begins with the University Mission Statement, the Vision of a Clarkson Education, and our Clarkson Values.
Clarkson’s major academic units are the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering, the David D. Reh School of Business, the School of Arts & Sciences, the Earl R. and Barbara D. Lewis School of Health Sciences, the Graduate School, The Clarkson School (a unique academy for high school-age students who begin college early) and Sponsored Research Services, which oversees a $13.9 million portfolio of contracts. Three institutes also support key areas of interdisciplinary research, educational programs and public outreach. These are the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, the Institute for STEM Education and the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries.
Research centers further leverage the University’s scholarly strengths. The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP), a New York state Center for Advanced Technology, contains state-of-the-art research laboratories that enable faculty to pursue cutting-edge research and are accessible to undergraduates and graduate students for collaborative projects. The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) serves to integrate biomedical engineering and science with assistive and adaptive technologies and physical therapy to improve lives affected by disease or injury. Clarkson University and SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (ESF) to co-lead a new Center of Excellence (CoE) in Healthy Water Solutions to deliver synergistic problem-solving on the wide range of water issues impacting the Empire State.
As a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) serves its affiliates in the rapidly growing areas of Biometric Identification and Credibility Assessment Technology through an interdisciplinary group of faculty, researchers and students. The Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science (C3S2) addresses the rapidly growing field of identifying and understanding causality in large-scale systems, as well as the hierarchical interactions, patterns and scaling of system components across a variety of fields, such as brain science, insect swarming, social science and fluid dynamics.
Clarkson University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Programs in aeronautical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, mechanical and software engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc. (ABET). Students who have completed at least three years toward a bachelor’s degree in engineering are eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination toward licensure as professional engineers. The Reh School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The undergraduate engineering and management program in the Reh School is also accredited by EAC ABET. The healthcare MBA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
The MAT program in the Department of Education has Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) accreditation until 2026. The physical therapy curriculum is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Provisional Accreditation to the physician assistant studies program. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has granted “Candidacy Status” to the occupational therapy program at Clarkson University.In addition, the University is accredited by the United States Civil Service Commission, and its curricula are approved by the New York State Board of Regents.
Potsdam and New York's "North Country"
Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, on the historic 640-acre wooded homestead of the Clarkson family in the foothills of the Adirondack Park. With roughly 15,000+ year-round residents, the Village of Potsdam is nestled along the Raquette River in the heart of St. Lawrence County. It is home to a variety of shopping and dining experiences, an active downtown corridor, two world-class universities as well as outstanding recreational outlets. As another major employer and location for Clarkson internships and cooperative-education experiences, Canton-Potsdam Hospital (CPH) is a 94-bed facility with core programs in emergency medicine, acute care, hospitalist medicine and critical care supplemented by outpatient health services throughout the region. A number of physicians with an entrepreneurial spirit have been attracted to practice in the area based on CPH’s affiliation with Clarkson’ Shipley Center for Innovation which supports the commercialization of medical device technologies.
With four other universities in the immediate region (SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University, SUNY Canton and Paul Smith’s College), Potsdam is truly “a college town.” The Village of Potsdam is located on the banks of the beautiful Raquette River. The Village was the 2019 recipient of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant from New York state. Its tree-lined streets and historic red sandstone buildings contain an array of modern stores and restaurants. Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam are within walking distance of one another. Among the Village’s outstanding cultural features is the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, which offers extraordinary vocal and instrumental performances and concerts by world-class musicians.
Just an hour and a half from Clarkson is Lake Placid, a year-round resort town with all kinds of entertainment, shopping, dining and recreation. This famed Olympic site in the Adirondack Mountains offers not only a spectacular setting and world-class sporting events, but also a variety of unique experiences like wheeled bobsled rides, views from atop a former Olympic ski jump and a handicap-accessible elevator to the summit of Whiteface Mountain. Having hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid is renowned for winter sports. Clarkson took a major role in the region’s preparations to host the International Children’s Games in 2019 and the 2023 Winter World University Games.
As the home mountain for Clarkson’s ski teams, the downhill skiing at nearby Whiteface Mountain is unrivaled in the East, and regular roundtrip transportation to Whiteface as well as Titus Mountain is available from the Clarkson campus. The international Olympic flavor pervades the whole region. Olympic year-round training sites include not only the towering ski jump, but also the luge, speed skating, biathlon and bobsled facilities. Recreational opportunities abound throughout the year, ranging from golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, white water rafting, biking and sailing amid mountain splendor. Hiking trails abound; many faculty, staff and students become “46ers” in recognition of climbing all 46 peaks in the region. Caves that are hidden throughout the Adirondacks wait to be explored. The numerous lakes and rivers of the North Country offer kayaking, fishing and other rafting action as well as scuba diving and boat tours to see the shipwrecks and old forts from the War of 1812 in several waterways.
Two of Canada’s major cities are within a two-hour drive of the University. French-speaking Montreal is one of the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated cities in North America. Famed for the multicultural cuisine of its ethnically diverse restaurants and the glitter of its nightlife, this urban environment offers unique francophone experiences, including the charms of “Old Montreal” with echoes of 400 years of history. Destinations include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Arts and Montreal Canadiens hockey games, as well as performances in the arts and entertainment fields.
Ottawa, which is Canada’s capital, offers world-class cultural attractions, including the National Arts Centre, National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Civilization, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature and Parliament Hill, as well as A-list musical and stage performances. It is also home to the Ottawa Senators. A favorite local tradition shared by Clarkson students is skating on the famous Rideau Canal, which runs for miles through the city.
The Capital Region CampusClarkson’s Capital Region Campus, located in Schenectady, New York, and established through a merger with Union Graduate College, offers expanded opportunities for graduate and professional programs and serves as the graduate admissions and recruiting hub for the University. Centrally located to many of Clarkson’s corporate partners for research, graduate education, talent development and alumni networking, the campus also affords convenient transportation via train, air and automobile interstates. The Capital Region Campus is less than 15 minutes from the state capital in Albany and less than three hours from New York City, Syracuse and Boston.
At Clarkson, we want that experience to be balanced. We merge academics and extracurricular activities into what we like to think of as “serious fun.” We're known for our tight-knit community, where our students make lifelong connections and consider the people around them their Golden Knight family.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.
Diversity & Inclusion: The Clarkson community embraces all forms of diversity on our campus and strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment. We also believe it is essential for our students, faculty and staff members to be global citizens.
Activities & Clubs: What’s there to do on campus? The question should be, how will I find time to do it all? With more than 250 options — from anime to zombies —the chances are good that we have a club, team, or activity that matches your extracurricular passion. 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
Living on Campus: We want Clarkson to be your home away from home. There are plenty of living options, from comfortable, well equipped residence halls to living-learning communities that bring together students with shared interests. Expect a warm welcome!
Dining: You’re going to be hungry. We make sure that you have the food choices you want, when you want them, with dining options and meal plans that let you focus on the important things: academics, hands-on experiences and extracurricular fun.
Clarkson Ignite: Clarkson Ignite is our call to action and our framework to fast track-track innovation in an open environment. Part of Ignite is the President's Challenge, an annual competition for teams of students to solve a specific issue.
Careers & International Experiences: Some of the best experiences our undergraduate students have while at Clarkson aren't actually at Clarkson - internships, co-ops and studying abroad. Our International Center staff and Career Center will help you find the right places to visit and learn.
Explore the Region: From our home community, take a two-hour drive to the bustling Canadian cities of Ottawa or Montreal. Or head south into the Adirondack Mountains to experience some of the best outdoor recreation in the United States.
International Students & Scholars: International Student & Scholar Services staff assist all incoming international students & scholars to Clarkson University. Whether you are a full-time international student completing a degree at the University, an exchange student from one of our partner universities, or a visiting scholar, these pages will provide you with the information to make a smooth transition to Clarkson. We hope that your stay at Clarkson will be both pleasant and rewarding and you use the International Center as a resource of information as you navigate challenging & rewarding experiences. We look forward to getting to know you and again WELCOME you to CU!
Clarkson Athletics & Recreation
The Clarkson Golden Knights compete in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports — at the NCAA Division I-level in men’s and women’s hockey and at the NCAA Division III/USCSA-level in the other 18. Based on our historical presence as an ice hockey powerhouse, Clarkson is one of only a few institutions in the country that have been grandfathered in by the NCAA to allow students to compete in both levels of play. The Golden Knights’ women’s ice hockey team has won three D-1 National Championships in the last five years. The men’s team has a storied legacy in the sport since 1919, and, this past year, posted its best season record in over a decade. Led by a pep band that is the envy of our competitors, both teams enjoy a great fan following in Cheel Arena at home games – and on road trips often feel a sense of home-field advantage because of the number of students and alumni that turn out for away games.
In keeping with our winter climate during the academic year, the Alpine and Nordic ski teams have also enjoyed much recent success. Other sports offered include baseball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, softball and volleyball. Our volleyball team has been to the NCAAs for the past nine years and reached the Elite 8 for four of those years. Of our 450 student-athletes, 400 of them compete at the Division III level, with over 75% of those teams advancing to post season play. The high level at which our students compete is consistent with their dedication to their studies. The overall student-athlete GPA is 3.3 – significantly above that of the general student population.
All students are encouraged to participate in robust intramural leagues and recreational activities, and most facilities and fitness classes are available to faculty and staff as well. Clarkson’s main location in Potsdam provides students with a wide array of outdoor sporting opportunities, including individual and team challenges. The ROTC Program’s challenge course and the Munter Trails also intertwine with community recreation systems.
COVID-19 Information:
• What is the status of planned campus admission open days/tours?
Clarkson is not conducting in-person events at this time.
• How can applicants contact the university about their application?
Please fill in this form to get in touch with the University.
• How is the university handling applicants whose exams have been cancelled?
Starting in Fall 2021, Clarkson University will be test optional for all students who are seeking a bachelor’s degree. Students wishing to provide ACT or SAT test scores will have that information factored into their application review; those who do not provide scores will not be penalized. All students planning to take other standardized exams, such as A-levels, IB exams, WASSCE and other national exams, should provide predicted scores or results, if available.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, many typically require exams such as the GRE or GMAT. Please contact Graduate Admissions for assistance with questions concerning these exams and the potential for waivers or postponement of submission.
Most international students, at all levels, are required to provide evidence of English proficiency. The minimum scores for our English exam requirements are as follows: TOEFL 80; IELTS 6.5; PTE 56; Duolingo 115.
• What advice is the university offering to applicants unable to take an English-language test due to centers being closed?
Clarkson accepts the Duolingo English Test, which is available online and does not require a test appointment. Other exam providers are planning for at-home testing. Check the TOEFL and IELTS websites for availability.
• How is the university supporting applicants whose visa applications have been delayed?
Clarkson is monitoring the situation with visa appointments at local consulates around the world. We are issuing I-20 documents for those who are able to get appointments. Some students will get them at a later date, when visa interviews resume. I-20s will be reissued, as needed, if the original document expires before students are able to make an in-person interview appointment.
• Is the university still accepting applications? Are there any restrictions being placed on international applicants?
Clarkson University is still accepting applications with no restrictions on international applicants.
• How are applications for university accommodation being handled?
Admitted Fall 2020 undergraduate students can complete housing arrangements after they make their enrollment deposits. Limited housing is also available for graduate students.
• Is the university making any changes to entry requirements (i.e. test results, required documents)?
Clarkson University is test-optional for bachelor’s admission beginning in Fall 2021.
For students seeking Master’s and PhD options, check the program-specific pages for GRE, GMAT, and Miller Analogies requirements.
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.
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or PhD in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
Clarkson's all-in education results in graduates who earn salaries that are among the top 2% in the United States and who realize accelerated career growth. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. Undergraduate students have a 97 percent placement rate in their chosen field of study within the first six months, either in employment or advanced studies. Among graduate students earning a master’s or Ph.D. in 2019, 98 percent were placed by the time of our 2019 study.
The Clarkson Career Center is dedicated to helping you reach your career goals. Our full-time staff offers customized services to all Clarkson students and alumni who want to
We're 42,000+ strong in alumni alone. Add into that a vast array of corporate partners, educational institutions, and organizations, and you've got yourself an outstanding network of people all looking to hire Clarkson students and graduates.
Not only are our alumni employed at some of the nation's top companies, but 1 in 5 of them are also a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. This means that Clarkson grads are not only getting jobs at the companies they want, but they are also seen as leaders, too. These influential Clarkson alumni frequently come back to campus to create new opportunities for Clarkson students, share their professional wisdom and recruit top talent.
Learn more about the Career Center
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Clarkson University is one of the top Private universities in Potsdam, United States. It is ranked #751-800 in QS Global World Rankings 2022.
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