First-Year Scholarships

The Presidential Scholarship is a highly esteemed scholarship awarded to approximately five exceptional students annually. It recognizes individuals who stand out due to their outstanding academic achievements and leadership potential, placing them among the top applicants to Clark.

This scholarship covers full tuition, as well as on-campus room and board for all four years, regardless of a family’s financial situation.

How to apply

To apply for the Presidential Scholarship, indicate your interest by selecting the corresponding option when you complete the Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir.

After indicating your interest, you will receive detailed information on how to complete your scholarship application.

Application deadline

• Early Decision I and Early Action – December 1
• Early Decision II and Regular – February 1

A small group of students may be selected as finalists to interview in January from the Early Decision I and Early Action rounds. A second round of finalists will be selected to interview in March. All students will receive an update on their status for the scholarship by the end of March.

The Admissions Committee selects finalists based on the strength of their admission applications and other specific criteria identified by the committee.

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.

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.

Here are additional online scholarship searches that might help you:

• www.finaid.org
• www.fastweb.com
• Bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
• www.scholarships.com
• www.studentscholarshipsearch.com

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.