Skip to content
AlmaSpire

Washington, DC · Private · 10,108 undergraduates · urban

Howard University

Selective

Howard combines an HBCU undergraduate experience with Washington access and broad professional-school infrastructure across business, communications, engineering, health, arts, and public service.

Institutional profile

Established Solid in academic standing, and solid in mobility.
Academic Solid Affordability Emerging Career Steady Mobility Solid Experience Steady
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Emerging
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Solid
Student experience Steady
Admission
34.9% admitted

30,342 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
64.3%

$63,066 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Howard University apart

Academic design

Business, communications, engineering, sciences, liberal arts, nursing and health, and fine arts connect with major professional schools.

Campus pattern

Washington campus sits near government, media, nonprofits, hospitals, and cultural institutions.

Career & value signal

D.C. creates direct pathways into government, law, media, consulting, public policy, healthcare, and advocacy.

Can I get in?

34.9% admitted

Some fine-arts programs require auditions, portfolios, or other discipline-specific materials.

Recent applicant pool

30,342

About 35 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 34.9%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1100–1298
9801420
ACT middle 50%22–28
1832

Of admitted students, 27% submitted an SAT, and 10% submitted an ACT. Because ACT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.

Academic benchmarkSelective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Howard University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Howard University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Business, communications, engineering, sciences, liberal arts, nursing and health, and fine arts connect with major professional schools.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Howard combines an HBCU undergraduate experience with Washington access and broad professional-school infrastructure across business, communications, engineering, health, arts, and public service.

03

Use the application route carefully

Some fine-arts programs require auditions, portfolios, or other discipline-specific materials.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Some fine-arts programs require auditions, portfolios, or other discipline-specific materials.

Early DecisionNov 1
Early ActionNov 1
Regular DecisionFeb 1
Fee and waiver$45 application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$66,132
Average annual cost after aid$51,000
Affordability profileEmerging

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

Howard University publishes one merit award. All of them renew past the first year.

Reviewed with admission Merit scholarship

Open across the university · Merit · Renews

In the season card

This award, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • How to be considered 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Howard University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years64.3%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one90.5%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$63,066

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Biology, General

Recent graduates186
Median earnings$60,923

Political Science and Government

Recent graduates148
Median earnings$65,733

Psychology, General

Recent graduates132
Median earnings$59,069

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other

Recent graduates121
Median earnings$59,909

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

Recent graduates96
Median earnings$67,881

What is campus life like?

Howard University beyond the classroom

Washington campus sits near government, media, nonprofits, hospitals, and cultural institutions.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Business, communications, engineering, sciences, liberal arts, nursing and health, and fine arts connect with major professional schools.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Washington campus sits near government, media, nonprofits, hospitals, and cultural institutions.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

D.C. creates direct pathways into government, law, media, consulting, public policy, healthcare, and advocacy.

10,108 undergraduatesMid-Atlanticurban setting80% of first-year students live on campus