POTSDAM -- Clarkson University President Anthony Collins supports President Obama's "shake-up" for higher education and is confident about how the upstate New York research university will fare in the new scorecards for colleges and universities.

“You and President Obama can count Clarkson University among the private higher education institutions that have no problem being held accountable to standards that measure how well we prepare students for remarkably successful careers and for ensuring access to education for all qualified students,” a statement issued by Collins and Vice President for External Relations Kelly O. Chezum, said. “We have been doing just that since 1896.”

The release said “Clarkson is ready for the Obama score card as the institution has a long history of prioritizing access to education for all qualified students who seek to enroll and remains committed to having the greatest share of its alumni contributions and endowment go to student aid and education.”

According to the release Undergraduate tuition and fees at Clarkson are $40,540 and with typical residential room charge and meal package, the total cost to educate a student goes to $53,808.

“This academic year remains representative of our past years where 99 percent of Clarkson students received aid based on need and academic performance. Last year, Clarkson awarded an average aid of $26,459 per student, which is more than half of the published price of tuition. Additionally, 31 percent of Clarkson students qualified for Pell Grants, which is another example of how Clarkson is already in tune with the national emphasis on expanding access to high quality education to lower income students,” the release said.

Clarkson is also taking innovative approaches to helping students finance their education – particularly those students who are already in business with a product or service, or getting ready to commercialize new technology, the release said.

Based on a competitive application process, students in the Young Entrepreneurs and Young Innovators Program can attend Clarkson without payment of tuition through a combination of merit-based financial aid and purchase by Clarkson of 10 percent equity in their firm at fair market value. Go to: http://www.clarkson.edu/equity for more information.