Claremont Lincoln University

Claremont Lincoln University (CLU) is a private, nonprofit, WSCUC-accredited university whose courses are designed around ethical leadership and community change. Its administrative office is in Claremont, California, but degree instruction is 100% online and asynchronous. This is not a residential campus experience: students log in from their own locations, work with faculty and peers online, and apply course projects to professional or community settings. CLU is the university of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and uses its Claremont Core framework of mindfulness, dialogue, collaboration and change.

Programs for working adults and transfer students

CLU’s bachelor’s offerings are degree-completion programs, not a conventional four-year freshman track: the BA in Organizational Leadership has concentrations such as human resources, integrated policing studies, management and professional studies, and a separate bachelor’s program focuses on land policy and real estate development. Applicants should confirm that their previous general-education credits meet the admission requirements before relying on the advertised completion cost.

Current graduate options include the Master in Public Administration (with public-finance, complex-systems leadership and sustainable-communities pathways), Master in City and Regional Planning, Master of Legal Studies in Land Policy: Land Use, Planning and Development, MA in Human Resources Management, and MA in Organizational Leadership. Graduate certificates include land policy, urban planning and management, public administration and resource management. Most classes are delivered in eight-week terms; some full-time master’s tracks can be completed in about 13 months when students maintain the stated course load. Use the program directory to verify the exact concentration and current intake.

Read the 2026–27 catalog carefully: it marks the MA in Healthcare Administration, MA in Social Impact, MA in Sustainability Leadership and several Organizational Leadership concentrations as not currently enrolling new students. Older pages and search results can still show those programs. Ask admissions to confirm an active start date before applying.

Tuition, scholarship and borrowing details

The 2026–27 catalog sets graduate tuition at $550 per credit hour. The online bachelor’s completion model charges $270 per course; CLU estimates $5,400 tuition for a 60-credit completion program. Books and some program or assessment fees are additional. This price is tuition, not the total cost of study or living.

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Scholarship offers 50% tuition support for selected graduate degrees and certificates, including the MPA, MCRP, MLS in Land Policy, MA in Organizational Leadership and MA in Human Resources Management. New master’s applicants to eligible programs must meet admission criteria, including a 3.0 GPA, and submit a separate scholarship application; funding is limited and awards are not automatic. The scholarship cannot be combined with certain other institutional discounts and renews only when the stated academic and financial conditions are met. Eligible undergraduates may also qualify for the Pell Grant; federal aid requires the FAFSA (CLU school code 042536). The university says its participation is limited to federal Stafford loans and it does not certify private education loans. Before enrolling, ask Student Financial Services for your exact aid offer, remaining bill, installment dates and the loan options available to your program. See the current tuition and financial-aid information.

Online support, reviews and career expectations

Student comments mention flexibility for people balancing work or family, small classes, engaged faculty and helpful financial-aid staff. Other reviewers warn that their expected federal-loan funding did not cover the full plan. That concern makes a written aid estimate especially important: CLU’s current catalog confirms that it does not process private education loans. The university provides advising, a writing/research support center and career-development resources, but it explicitly does not provide employment placement or guarantee a job after graduation. Read the graduate student comments and ask current students in your intended program about faculty contact, discussion workload and how aid was disbursed.

Claremont administrative office and admissions

The administrative office is at 150 W. First Street, Claremont, CA 91711; the main number is (909) 667-4400. Published office hours are Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Pacific Time; Google Maps lists the office as closed on weekends. Because instruction is online and this is an administrative office rather than a classroom campus, arrange an appointment before visiting. Admissions can be reached at (909) 667-4444 or admission@claremontlincoln.edu. Use the university’s admissions page to request information or start an application.