If you are a U.S. high school student, you could be eligible for scholarships to help pay for the cost of your undergraduate education at Clark University.
Scholarships are offered by Clark University and many local, state and national organizations. Scholarships may or may not be tied to your financial need.
Your eligibility for scholarships depends on your academic accomplishments, in addition to other factors.
Clark merit scholarships
If you are a high school student, and you have applied to Clark University, you will be considered automatically for most of the university’s merit scholarships. Our Presidential Scholarship requires a separate application. However, the rest of our merit scholarships do not.
Approximately 80 percent of our undergraduate students receive merit awards from the university.
Top consideration for these awards goes to admitted students who have excelled in secondary school and whose academic achievement and personal qualities indicate they will perform at the highest level when they enroll at Clark.
Keep in mind that:
- Decisions about which scholarship, if any, you will receive will be based on your academic qualifications (those indicated on your application for admission), not on your family need.
- If you are awarded a merit scholarship, you will be notified when you receive your admissions decision.
- If you receive a scholarship, but your financial need is greater than the amount of your scholarship, you may be eligible for additional assistance through a combination of grants, loans and work-study. Read more about need-based financial aid.
Below are the merit scholarships offered to entering first-year students at Clark University. The scholarship amounts and descriptions below will be in effect for students starting in Fall 2023.
Awarded to incoming students who have shown a tireless commitment to leadership, scholarship, and community. One of Clark’s top-level scholarships and honors, the Traina Scholarship is named after the late Richard P. Traina, the former University President who saw a better world was possible through listening, learning, and connecting.
Eligible students will receive a $112,000 four-year award ($28,000 per year) regardless of their family’s financial need.
Awarded to incoming students who have demonstrated strong academic potential to achieve in and out of the classroom on projects of meaning. Named after Robert H. Goddard—Clark graduate and faculty member and the founder of modern rocketry—whose bold approach to learning envisioned and anticipated a world that did not yet exist.
Eligible students will receive a $104,000 four-year award ($26,000 per year) regardless of their family’s financial need.
Awarded to incoming students who have shown potential to challenge convention and change the world. Named after our founder, Jonas Clark, who aspired to champion an educational model that would create freethinking and bold students and citizens of the world.
Eligible students will receive a $21,000 four-year award ($84,000 per year) regardless of their family’s financial need.
Awarded to incoming students who have demonstrated remarkable devotion to their academics or community endeavors. Named for Clark’s school color, Scarlet — a bold color traditionally associated with courage and passion.
Eligible students will receive a $64,000 four-year award ($16,000 per year) regardless of their family’s financial need.
Awarded to incoming students who show promise in creativity, research and the life of the mind. Named for the year Jonas Clark founded Clark University as one of the first all-graduate institutions in the United States, with special interest in research in the field of psychology.
Eligible students will receive a $52,000 four-year award ($13,000 per year) regardless of their family’s financial need.
- Awarded to approximately five students each year, the Presidential Scholarship is a prestigious award for students whose academic record and leadership potential places them at the very top of Clark’s applicant pool.
- Full tuition, on-campus room and board for all four years, regardless of a family’s financial need
- Requires two additional scholarship essays due Feb. 1 for all applicants. Regular Decision applicants have until Feb. 1. EA/ED applicants who submit scholarship applications after Dec. 1 but before Feb. 1 will receive notification of their scholarship status in March.
How to apply
If you are interested in the Presidential Scholarship, simply check that option when you fill out the Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir (available Aug. 1).
You’ll then receive detailed information — including the topics of the two short essays — on how to apply for the scholarship. The final deadline for submitting the essays is Feb. 1, for Early Action, Early Decision and Regular Decision candidates.
Students will be notified in March if they have been selected for an interview.
The Admissions Committee chooses finalists based on the strength of their applications for admission and other criteria identified by the committee. Last year, the committee reviewed more than 450 scholarship applications from the U.S. and around the world before inviting 15 finalists for interviews; of those 15, five were awarded the scholarship and became members of the incoming class.
The Segal AmeriCorps Scholarship reinforces Clark University’s commitment to community service as embodied in its motto “Challenge Convention. Change Our World.”
To be eligible, you should be a recipient of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award and a full-time undergraduate day student admitted into a degree program at Clark.
Beginning with the 2018/2019 award year Clark matches your Segal AmeriCorps Education Award dollar for dollar.
Renewal of your scholarship from year to year will be in accordance with University scholarship guidelines and your continued eligibility for the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.
Clark University participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) portion of the Post-9/11 Veterans’ Educational Assistance Act of 2008. The YRP is a partnership between the University and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist eligible students with tuition expenses.
Questions about VA education programs or your eligibility?
Please contact the VA at 1-888-GIBILL1 or visit the VA website.
Questions about Clark’s certification process?
Please contact the Office of Financial Assistance, 1-508-793-7478.
Clark University is a member of the nationwide Tuition Exchange program, which serves current faculty and staff employed at participating institutions.
Member colleges and universities set their own policies and procedures for determining a student’s eligibility. For instance, Clark can determine how many and which students from other universities to accept each year, and vice versa.
If you wish to learn about your eligibility for acceptance at Clark through the Tuition Exchange program, you must work with the Tuition Exchange liaison officer at your parent’s institution.
Learn more about the specifics of the nationwide Tuition Exchange Program.
Private scholarships
To cover your educational expenses, you first may look to federal and state aid, as well as Clark University’s merit scholarships. However, you may be eligible for additional scholarships offered by local, statewide and national organizations.
Below are possible sources and ideas for finding private scholarships.
If you do receive a private scholarship, you must inform the Clark University Office of Financial Assistance in writing. Private scholarships are considered part of your aid package. They will first cover your unmet financial needs, then replace loans and/or work-study and, if necessary, reduce any institutional grants.
You may be eligible for scholarships from:
- Your high school teachers, guidance counselors and school librarians: Ask them if there are any school-sponsored scholarships.
- Your parents’ employers: Ask your parent(s) if there are any scholarship opportunities provided through their employer(s); if they are unsure, you or they should call their human resources department for more information.
- Your current employer: Ask your employer if the company offers any scholarships for graduating high school students.
- Your place of worship: Ask the office staff or leadership about any scholarship possibilities or assistance with college expenses; private fundraiser events may be allowed if a scholarship is not already in place.
- Service clubs (Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus, YMCA/YWCA, Boys and Girls Club, etc.): Ask your local branch or national office about scholarships; private fundraiser events may be allowed if a scholarship is not already in place.
For example, current Clark students have received scholarships from the following organizations:
- Dollars for Scholars (varying amounts, anywhere from $400 to $1,100)
- Horatio Alger Association ($4,000 to $4,500)
- New Hampshire Charitable Foundation (varying amounts, anywhere from $100 to $5,000)
- Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship (varying amounts, anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000)
- Yawkey Scholars Program (varying amounts, anywhere from $5,500 to $11,000)
There are numerous online resources for identifying private scholarships. As with any online search you want to be careful to avoid anything that may be a scam. You may want to watch out for these “red flags”:
- The online service charges a fee. Scholarships are meant to help students, and if you are paying for the service, you may want to skip it altogether.
- An organization does not require an essay. If you are only providing personal information, and no other information is required, it could mean that this organization is looking to sell your information.
- An online service or organization asks for sensitive information. Never provide your Social Security number or other sensitive information unless you know the scholarship is from a legitimate source.
SALT Scholarship Search
SALT Scholarship Search was created by American Student Assistance, a nonprofit organization, to help Clark University students and alumni become more financially savvy. Clark provides this membership, allowing you to receive all services free of charge. SALT can help you better manage your finances and become an educated student loan borrower.
SALT provides:
- Valuable information about managing debt and your student loans.
- Search tools to help you locate private scholarships. You can search more than 2.4 million awards worth more than $14 billion; download tools and customize your application request letters; and receive email updates to find out about scholarship programs, tips and news.
If you are already registered with SALT, just log in to get started in your search. If you are not registered yet, then register now.
With your registration, you can view a few of our favorite SALT scholarship links:
- The Ultimate Scholarship FAQ
- Write One Essay, Apply for Lots of Scholarships
- How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay In 5 Steps
- 20 Ways to Find College Scholarships
- Say “Yes” To “Nope” Scholarships
Here are additional online scholarship searches that might help you:
Each year, Clark University selects several states to receive our regional incentive grant, a $5,000 automatic grant for admitted first-year students who attend high school in geographic areas outside of New England. For applicants applying to Clark for the Fall 2023 semester, the regional incentive grant states are California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.