Clark Atlanta University vs Spelman College

Metric	Clark Atlanta University	Spelman College
Undergraduate enrollment	3,603	3,414
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	64.2%	24.9%
Average SAT	—	1,220
Median ACT	19	—
In-state tuition	$28,310	$31,556
Out-of-state tuition	$28,310	$31,556
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$37,702	$38,967
Median debt at graduation	$27,000	$25,000
Graduation rate	49.0%	78.5%
First-year retention	70.7%	94.1%
Median salary (10 yr)	$42,712	$59,993

Metric

Clark Atlanta University

Spelman College

Undergraduate enrollment

3,603

3,414

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

64.2%

24.9%

Average SAT

—

1,220

Median ACT

—

In-state tuition

$28,310

$31,556

Out-of-state tuition

$28,310

$31,556

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$37,702

$38,967

Median debt at graduation

$27,000

$25,000

Graduation rate

49.0%

78.5%

First-year retention

70.7%

94.1%

Median salary (10 yr)

$42,712

$59,993

What the numbers say

Spelman College is the harder admit at 24.9%, against 64.2% at Clark Atlanta University.
Clark Atlanta University costs less after aid — $37,702 a year versus $38,967, a difference of $1,265 annually, or roughly $5,060 across four years.
Spelman College graduates report higher median earnings — $59,993 against $42,712 ten years after entry.
Spelman College graduates a larger share of its students — 78.5% versus 49.0%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Spelman College comes out ahead at 1.5× 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 Spelman College run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.