Clark automatically considers every applicant for merit scholarships of up to $20,000/year (with a handful of full-tuition-plus-housing Presidential Scholarships) — but outside scholarships ultimately reduce your Clark grant dollar-for-dollar, and all Clark aid is capped at eight semesters.
Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK
Merit tiers2See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Common merit-aid mistakes at Clark
For merit outside awards, after filling unmet need and reducing self-help (work-study then loans), any remainder reduces your Clark grant dollar-for-dollar. Non-merit outside awards (federal/state grants) reduce the Clark grant dollar-for-dollar immediately.
Tuition subsidies based on a parent's employment reduce the Clark University Grant by $0.50 per dollar after the first $5,000.
Students are limited to eight semesters of Clark-sponsored need-based aid and merit scholarships; from the ninth semester only federal loans may be available.
Clark's award already assumes living expenses (on-campus room/board or off-campus rent/groceries); moving to an off-campus apartment does not change your aid.
Standard Clark merit scholarships cap at $20,000/year — well below the 2026-27 cost of attendance of ~$82,753; only the ~5 Presidential Scholarships cover full tuition + housing + meals.
Who this school is for
Strong applicants who want automatic, no-application merit money at a small MA research university; the very top applicants (≈5/year) compete for the full Presidential Scholarship.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $82,753 for 2026-2027. Source
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
Up to $20,000 per year
Clark Merit Scholarships
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Based entirely on academic background (academic performance and potential, accomplishments, talents, personal qualities). All applicants automatically considered; no separate application; decided without regard to financial need. No published GPA/test grid.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to four years as long as you maintain certain academic standards. All Clark merit + need-based aid is limited to eight semesters.
Notes
Notified at the time of admission. May still be combined with need-based aid. Clark does not publish individual named-tier names/amounts on these pages — only the $20,000/yr ceiling.
Full tuition, on-campus housing and meals (all four years)
Presidential Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Approximately five exceptional students annually; top applicants by academic achievement and leadership potential. No separate application; finalists are selected and invited to interview.
Renewal terms
Covers full tuition, housing, and meals for all four years of undergraduate study.
Notes
Awarded regardless of a family's financial situation. Apply by the admissions deadline to be considered.
Clark's aid is based on the assumption you receive no non-Clark aid; if you do, Clark may revise its offer. For MERIT-based outside scholarships, outside funds first fill unmet need, then reduce self-help (work-study, then loans), and any remainder reduces the Clark grant DOLLAR-FOR-DOLLAR. NON-merit outside awards (federal/state grants) reduce the Clark grant dollar-for-dollar. Tuition subsidies based on a parent's employment reduce the Clark grant $0.50 per dollar after the first $5,000. All Clark merit + need-based aid is capped at eight semesters.
Merit outside awards: unmet need first, then self-help (work-study then loans), then Clark grant dollar-for-dollar. Non-merit outside (federal/state grants): Clark grant dollar-for-dollar immediately. Employer tuition subsidy: $0.50/dollar above $5,000.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountClark matches your Segal award dollar for dollarEligibilityRecipients of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award who are full-time undergraduate day degree students at Clark.
Renewal per Clark's scholarship guidelines and continued Segal eligibility.
Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?
No. All applicants are automatically considered for Clark's merit scholarships (and for the Presidential Scholarship); recipients are notified at the time of admission. Presidential finalists are invited to interview.
How much is the merit scholarship?
Up to $20,000 per year, renewable for up to four years with satisfactory academics. The Presidential Scholarship (≈5 students/year) instead covers full tuition plus on-campus housing and meals.
Will an outside scholarship reduce my Clark aid?
Possibly. Merit outside awards first fill unmet need, then reduce work-study/loans, then reduce your Clark grant dollar-for-dollar. Non-merit awards (federal/state grants) reduce the Clark grant dollar-for-dollar. Report all outside awards in writing.
What are the financial aid deadlines?
FAFSA and Clark's aid application are due Nov. 15 for Early Action/Early Decision and Jan. 15 for Regular Decision (matching the admission deadlines); tax documentation by May 1 if you enroll.
How Clark compares across our verified dataset
68 of 272 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Clark is in a recognizable cluster (68 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Clark is one of them. The cohort minority (25 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Clark’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
