Application Process

First-year applicants can apply to Clark using either the Common Application or the Coalition Application with Scoir. Choose the method that suits you best, but please submit only one application. There is no fee for either option.

We read your transcript top to bottom, to get the full story of your academic journey. We value how you’ve challenged yourself and shown growth over time, particularly in your junior and senior years. Test scores are optional, as we believe standardized tests don’t fully represent most students. We’re proud to be test-optional. 

Your involvement in family, community, and high school activities beyond your classes is also important. Whether through athletics, family commitments, part-time jobs, or musicals, all experiences matter. Clark fosters an active and inclusive community; we value all ways of being engaged in your community and seek students who will learn from and with each other.

Letters of recommendation help us understand who you are both in and out of the classroom. Your high school counselor provides one valuable prospective and teachers provide another. We suggest asking an academic teacher who knows you well to write a recommendation for you, someone who can speak to your strengths and growth as a student.

Yes. Clark University does not require students to submit either their SAT or ACT score as part of their application.

We strongly encourage you to submit all required materials by the deadline; however, we recognize it may not be possible in some cases. It’s most important that we receive your main application (either the Common App or the Coalition App with Scoir) by the deadline. Your other credentials may arrive after the deadline. 

You will be able to track your application materials in your applicant portal, and we’ll remind you by email of missing materials. If your application remains incomplete, it will be withdrawn, but only after we have attempted to notify you of what’s missing. It’s your responsibility to ensure your application is complete. 

You can apply using either application, and we do not have a preference which way you apply. Please submit only one application to Clark — you do not need to complete both! Neither application has a fee.

Once you’ve started your application, we’ll send you an email with information about how to log in to our applicant portal, and where you can check on the status of your materials, see what’s missing, and receive updates about your application. At peak periods around the deadlines, status updates on the portal are not immediate, so please allow for processing time. If you have questions about the status of your application, check your applicant portal, call 1-800-462-5275 or email our office. 

All decisions are released through our applicant portal to your personal account, so you will be able to log in from anywhere to see your decision. You’ll receive credentials to sign in to this portal via email when we first receive your application materials. Note: We do not release admission decisions over the phone.

Yes, whether you are a U.S. citizens or an international student, you may apply as a first-year student for the spring semester. Follow the instructions for applying to Clark and submit your application by Nov. 1. 

Admitted students may postpone their enrollment for up to a year and must submit a request to defer in writing by May 1. A nonrefundable deposit (credited toward first-semester charges) is required. You cannot defer your enrollment at Clark if you intend to enroll in a degree-seeking program in the interim. Instead, you must reactivate your application and submit official transcripts for review. 

Advanced Placement (AP) credit is defined as one unit of degree credit assigned for a score of 4 or 5 on a College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) AP exam taken after completion of an AP course and before the student formally matriculates.

First-year students may receive credit for college work with grades of C or better completed prior to becoming a student at Clark University if that credit is in a content area deemed academically acceptable to Clark and is from an accredited college or university.

First-year students may be awarded a maximum of eight units of credit (two semesters) for AP credit and/or credit from college courses taken while in high school.