Clark Atlanta University vs Mercer University

Metric	Clark Atlanta University	Mercer University
Undergraduate enrollment	3,603	4,500
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	64.2%	68.9%
Average SAT	—	1,271
Median ACT	19	30
In-state tuition	$28,310	$42,312
Out-of-state tuition	$28,310	$42,312
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$37,702	$23,847
Median debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,199
Graduation rate	49.0%	69.6%
First-year retention	70.7%	82.2%
Median salary (10 yr)	$42,712	$58,354

Metric

Clark Atlanta University

Mercer University

Undergraduate enrollment

3,603

4,500

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

64.2%

68.9%

Average SAT

—

1,271

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$28,310

$42,312

Out-of-state tuition

$28,310

$42,312

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$37,702

$23,847

Median debt at graduation

$27,000

$24,199

Graduation rate

49.0%

69.6%

First-year retention

70.7%

82.2%

Median salary (10 yr)

$42,712

$58,354

What the numbers say

Clark Atlanta University is the harder admit at 64.2%, against 68.9% at Mercer University.
Mercer University costs less after aid — $23,847 a year versus $37,702, a difference of $13,855 annually, or roughly $55,420 across four years.
Mercer University graduates report higher median earnings — $58,354 against $42,712 ten years after entry.
Mercer University graduates a larger share of its students — 69.6% versus 49.0%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Mercer University comes out ahead at 2.4× versus 1.1×.

Comparison tables are a starting point, not a decision. Three things matter more than anything in the table above:

Your real aid offer. Net price is an average across all income levels. Two students at the same school can pay amounts that differ by tens of thousands. Wait for actual award letters before ruling anything out on cost.
Your intended major. Earnings vary more between majors at one school than between schools for one major. A computer science graduate from the "lower earning" school here will likely out-earn a general studies graduate from the other.
Whether you will finish. Graduation rate is the metric most predictive of whether the money spent turns into a credential. Campus fit, support services, and commute all feed into it more than prestige does.

Visit before you commit

Both Clark Atlanta University and Mercer University run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.