More selective than 83% of District of Columbia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $54,630. College Scorecard.
Higher than 43% of District of Columbia colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 43% of District of Columbia colleges we cover and 76% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
HU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 30,342 applicants, Howard University admitted 10,587 and 2,268 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1090–1320 on the SAT or 22–28 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
HU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What HU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Howard University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in District of Columbia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $46,051 | $191,572 | 7.7 years |
| $30–48k | $47,477 | $197,504 | 7.9 years |
| $48–75k | $50,245 | $209,019 | 8.4 years |
| $75–110k | $52,981 | $220,401 | 8.9 years |
| $110k+ | $54,270 | $225,763 | 9.1 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (60% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($63,066) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in DC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $24,882 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Best-value colleges in District of Columbia for your income →
HU majors, earnings & careers
Howard University offers 49 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 8
- Health & Medicine · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Engineering · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Science & Math · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at HU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Management Information Systems | $103,478 | $20,000 |
| International Business | $100,344 | $24,000 |
| Accounting | $98,645 | — |
| Nursing | $94,136 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $88,875 | $25,000 |
| Finance | $80,094 | $19,959 |
| Marketing | $77,820 | $25,500 |
| English | $73,929 | — |
Quick list of all 49 majors
- Accounting$98,645
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Architecture—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management$44,345
- Biology$60,923
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business Administration$88,875
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other—
- Chemical Engineering—
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering—
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other$59,909
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science—
- Computer Systems Analysis—
- Criminal Justice$55,902
- Economics$63,972
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Electrical Engineering—
- English$73,929
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance$80,094
- Health Administration$68,877
- Health Sciences$60,047
- History—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International Business$100,344
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$61,316
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems$103,478
- Marketing$77,820
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Music—
- Nursing$94,136
- Nutrition Science—
- Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$65,733
- Psychology$59,069
- Public Relations and Advertising$67,881
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art$54,696
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Washington
Overall prices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,438. Housing costs 51% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 46 inches of rain a year, 10 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, District of Columbia
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
District of Columbia at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare HU with similar schools
Similar private colleges in District of Columbia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard University | 41% | $50,539 | 70% | $63,066 | This school |
| George Washington University | 47% | $36,586 | 84% | $90,873 | |
| American University | 62% | $41,943 | 75% | $77,370 | |
| Georgetown University | 13% | $40,815 | 95% | $103,494 | |
| Gallaudet University | 58% | $15,845 | 47% | $43,101 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Howard University would cost you $13,953 more per year than George Washington University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Howard University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$31,900).
- George Washington University gives aided families $43,179 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, District of Columbia resident | HU | GWU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $35,810 | $67,710 | −$31,900 |
| Books & supplies | $1,360 | $1,400 | −$40 |
| Housing & meals | $16,474 | $16,300 | +$174 |
| Personal & travel | $3,452 | $1,625 | +$1,827 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,466 | −$3,179 | +$713 |
| Sticker price | $54,630 | $83,856 | −$29,226 |
| Average grants | −$4,091 | −$47,270 | +$43,179 |
| You pay | $50,539 | $36,586 | +$13,953 |
“+” means HU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about HU
What is the HU acceptance rate?
Howard University accepts 41% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 10,587 of 30,342 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1090–1320 on the SAT or 22–28 on the ACT.
How much does Howard University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $54,630 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $50,539 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $46,051 and families earning $110k+ pay $54,270.
How much do HU graduates earn?
Former Howard University students earn a median $63,066 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the HU graduation rate?
70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for their second year.
How long does a HU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Howard University costs about $209,019 after grants ($50,245 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $63,066 ten years after starting, $24,882 more than high school graduates in District of Columbia ($38,184), so the cost is repaid in 8.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Howard University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/howard-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).