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About Clark Atlanta

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Innovation in Service to Humanity

Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is a nationally recognized HBCU with a rich history of academic excellence, innovative research, and leadership development. Located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, CAU combines a storied past with a forward-focused curriculum and programming to prepare students for a rapidly changing global environment. The University’s mission continues a 150-year legacy of providing access to higher education for a culturally diverse student population.

Consolidated in 1988, Clark Atlanta University combined the legacies of two historic institutions that persevered to turn barriers into breakthroughs. Just months after the Civil War, Atlanta University (est. 1865) became the South’s first HBCU to grant graduate degrees, and Clark College (est. 1869) the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college for African American students.
Today, as a single institution, Clark Atlanta University carries that same spirit forward. 

From Wall Street–ready finance labs to pioneering research in AI, cybersecurity, and cancer treatment, CAU fuels discovery with purpose. Guided by CAU's unique “Culture for Service,” our faculty and students innovate together—advancing knowledge not just for progress but for people.

For more than 160 years, in the very place we began, we’ve turned vision into action and action into impact. And we will continue to advance because at Clark Atlanta University, we are always innovating in service of humanity.

Welcome to Clark Atlanta University, where every day we are ‘Cultivating the Lifted Lives that will Transform the World.'

President George T. French, Jr. Phd. headshot December 2025 grey background
Dr. George T. French Jr. President

Panther Proud

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    Academic Achievements

    Classified by Carnegie as an R2 doctoral university (High Research Activity), CAU is one of only two private HBCUs in the nation authorized to award doctoral degrees in more than five disciplines. From pioneering research initiatives to nationally accredited professional programs, CAU continually pushes the boundaries of innovation.

  • Cultural Contributions

    CAU also plays a vital role in preserving and celebrating art and heritage. From one of the most extensive collections of African American art in the South to boasting alumni and our affiliates' profound impact on American culture, CAU faculty, students, and graduates continue to make their mark in literature, music, film, and beyond.

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Our Leadership

Learn more about how the current leadership and CAU board of trustees are developing a strategic plan for the next chapter of the Clark Atlanta University experience.

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Our Legacy

Discover generations of CAU alumni—from civil rights activists to educators, artists to AI entrepreneurs—who have gone on to become trailblazers, reflecting the enduring values that define the CAU legacy.

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Giving to CAU

Be a part of transforming students’ lives and impacting the next generation of research and community development at Clark Atlanta. Discover all the ways you can give back.

Contact Us

Clark Atlanta University
223 James P. Brawley Dr., S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
(404) 880-8000
© 2026 Clark Atlanta University