Howard University
Washington, District of Columbia
- Private nonprofit
- City
- 10,108 undergrads
- HBCU
- Admit rate
- 41%Source: College Scorecard
- Average net price
- $33,002per year, after grantsSource: College Scorecard
- Graduation rate
- 72%within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $69,68210 years after startingSource: College Scorecard
What's special
Howard University is the only historically Black college or university classified as a top Carnegie-designated research institution.
All first-year freshmen and second-year students at Howard University are required to live in university-sponsored housing.
Source: Explore Residence Halls | Howard University Student Affairs
Getting in
- Admit rate
- 41%About 4 in 10 applicants get in.Source: College Scorecard
- Test policy
- Test-optionalScores are considered if you send them, but not required.Source: College Scorecard
- SAT (middle 50%)
- 1090–1320Reading + math, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
- ACT (middle 50%)
- 22–28Composite, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
Where you'd stand
Enter your numbers to see where they'd fall among Howard University's first-year students. This isn't a prediction: it shows how you compare with students who enrolled, using the sources linked below.
Leave out anything you don't have. Your numbers stay in this browser and fill in on other school pages. See my list
Sources: College Scorecard. Test ranges describe enrolled students who sent scores.
What it really costs
Most families pay less than the sticker price. Net price is what's left after grants and scholarships.
- Average net price
- $33,002full-time first-years who got grant aidSource: College Scorecard
- Total cost of attendance
- $58,032sticker price incl. housing, per yearSource: College Scorecard
- Tuition
- $38,936Source: College Scorecard
After you enroll
- Graduation rate
- 72%first-time, full-time students finishing within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Came back for year two
- 91%full-time first-year studentsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $69,68210 years after starting, for students who got federal aidSource: College Scorecard
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,750federal loans, students who finishedSource: College Scorecard
Students
- Undergraduates
- 10,108Source: College Scorecard
- Receive Pell grants
- 41%a sign of economic diversitySource: College Scorecard
- First-generation students
- 24%parents didn't go beyond high schoolSource: College Scorecard
Similar schools
Similar, and easier to get into
- American University Washington, DC — admits 62%
- Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL — admits 82%
- St. John's University-New York Queens, NY — admits 83%
- Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY — admits 67%
Also worth a look
- George Washington University Washington, DC — admits 47%
- Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX — admits 44%
- University of Rochester Rochester, NY — admits 40%
- Georgetown University Washington, DC — admits 13%
- The University of Tampa Tampa, FL — admits 40%
- Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA — admits 48%
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard page for Howard University, which draws on what the school reports to the federal government and on federal student aid and tax records. We last pulled the data on November 4, 2026. Different measures cover different years; here's how each one works.
Spot something wrong? Report a data error.