Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York. Clarkson has additional graduate programs and research facilities in the New York Capital District. It was established in 1896 and enrolled over 4,000 students in 2024. Students pursue bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in each of its schools and institutes: the David D. Reh School of Business, Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Earl R. and Barbara D. Lewis School of Health and Life Sciences, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, and Institute for STEM Education. The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

Clarkson's athletic teams, known as the Golden Knights, compete in 20 varsity sports. While predominantly an NCAA Division III school competing in the Liberty League, both men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Division I ECAC Hockey. The women's hockey program has won three NCAA championships (2014, 2017, and 2018), marking the university's first national titles.

The school was founded in 1896 and was funded by the sisters of Thomas S. Clarkson, a local entrepreneur accidentally killed while working in his sandstone quarry. When a worker was in danger of being crushed by a loose pump, Clarkson pushed him out of the way, risking his own life. He died five days later. The Clarkson family realized great wealth in the development of such quarries, and Potsdam sandstone was highly sought after by developers of townhouses in New York City and elsewhere. The family were important benefactors in the Potsdam area. The school was called the Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial School of Technology.

In 1913, the name was changed to Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial College of Technology, which was used in a shortened version as Clarkson College of Technology (CCT). During the first half of the 20th century, most of the campus was located "downtown". The campus slowly expanded to an area known as the "Hill", located on the southwestern edge of Potsdam village. As of 2001, almost all academics and housing had moved to the hill campus. However, the university still uses the downtown buildings known as Old Snell and Old Main for administrative functions. In 2022, the Clarkson board of trustees named the Hill campus "The Collins Hill Campus" in honor of longtime President Tony Collins.

On February 24, 1984, the school officially became Clarkson University, although the pep band's rallying cry at hockey games is still "Let's Go Tech!". The institution and its hockey team have carried the nickname "Tech" since its 1896 founding. "CCT" is still printed on older school property and equipment.

On February 1, 2016, Union Graduate College merged into Clarkson University and became the Clarkson University Capital Region Campus in Schenectady, New York. This facility was closed in late 2024 and the Schenectady-based personnel transitioned to an office location in Latham, NY.

In the fall of 2023, the board of trustees approved a reorganization plan to gradually phase out all nine majors under the department of humanities and social sciences, as well as the department of communication, media and design, in an effort to cut down on net operating costs. The school of arts and sciences was consolidated with the Coulter School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a smaller unit called the department of Arts, Culture and Technology was created.

In 2025, Michelle Larson became the university's 19th and first female president.