# Howard University (HU)

Private nonprofit college in Washington, DC. IPEDS ID 131520.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/howard-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/howard-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 41% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $50,539 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 70%; beats 43% of DC colleges and 78% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $63,066; beats 43% of DC colleges and 76% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $19,200

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $46,051 |
| 30-48k | $47,477 |
| 48-75k | $50,245 |
| 75-110k | $52,981 |
| 110k+ | $54,270 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.16 years on average (60% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $63,066 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in DC (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $54,630
- Tuition and fees: $35,810
- Housing and meals: $16,474; books: $1,360

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 560–670; SAT math: 530–650; ACT: 22–28 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 30,342 applicants, 10,587 admitted, 2,268 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 41%, ACT 22–28 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 35%, ACT 22–28 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (49 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management Information Systems | $78,544 | $103,478 | $20,000 |
| International Business | $61,040 | $100,344 | $24,000 |
| Accounting | not reported | $98,645 | not reported |
| Nursing | $79,646 | $94,136 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $64,231 | $88,875 | $25,000 |
| Finance | $81,074 | $80,094 | $19,959 |
| Marketing | not reported | $77,820 | $25,500 |
| English | not reported | $73,929 | not reported |
| Health Administration | not reported | $68,877 | $27,000 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $39,120 | $67,881 | $26,000 |
| Political Science | $31,897 | $65,733 | $27,000 |
| Economics | not reported | $63,972 | $27,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $30,733 | $61,316 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $28,696 | $60,923 | $26,000 |
| Health Sciences | not reported | $60,047 | not reported |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | $25,878 | $59,909 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $18,934 | $59,069 | $25,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $27,801 | $55,902 | $26,000 |
| Studio Art | not reported | $54,696 | not reported |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | $17,095 | $44,345 | $27,000 |
| Architecture | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Journalism | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Systems Analysis | $92,324 | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Civil Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Development and Family Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Nutrition Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | $27,000 |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medical Laboratory Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist: median wage $101,680 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV), $102,740 (DC), $74,750 (U.S.)
- Biology → Biological technician: median wage $63,510 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV), $64,770 (DC), $57,510 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).