Howard University

Private · Selective · DC

Photo: Unknown (published in a book edited by W. N. Hartshorn and George W. Penniman) (Public Domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationDC · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads10,108

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate59.6%

6-yr grad rate70%

Drop-out rate9.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$36k

Out-of-state tuition$36k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity99.8%

Gender diversity73.3%

International4.5%

IdentityHBCU

Overview

Howard University, in Washington, DC, is a historically Black university with an outsized national legacy — alumni include Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison, Kamala Harris, and generations of Black leaders across law, politics, medicine, and the arts. It combines that legacy with genuine research-university breadth and a growing academic reputation, making it both a symbolically significant and an increasingly academically competitive choice across nearly every field it offers.

Academics

Howard is particularly strong in law, medicine, communications, and business, each with real professional-pipeline reputations rather than being purely undergraduate offerings — its law school and college of medicine are longstanding, historically significant programs in their own right, and its communications school has a well-known track record feeding journalism and media careers. The university's DC location adds access to government agencies, media organizations, and policy institutions that feed directly into coursework, internships, and networking well before graduation. STEM fields, including engineering, have also grown in reputation in recent years.

Campus & student life

Set in the heart of Washington, DC, near the U Street corridor, Howard's campus culture is deeply tied to Black history and achievement, both in its formal curriculum and in the informal texture of daily student life. Homecoming functions less as a routine campus event than a national gathering that draws alumni, celebrities, and cultural figures from across the country, and Greek life, particularly the Divine Nine organizations, plays an outsized and historically significant role in student social life.

Getting in

Howard reviews applicants holistically, with real attention to leadership and community involvement alongside academic record, and its reputation and selectivity have grown considerably across nearly all of its programs in recent years, making some majors meaningfully more competitive than they once were. Essays that speak to a genuine connection with Howard's mission and legacy tend to stand out in a pool that includes many students drawn specifically to that legacy.

After graduation

Howard has an unusually powerful pipeline into law, medicine, journalism, and public life, backed by one of the most prominent and engaged alumni networks of any university in the country, not just among HBCUs. Graduates are prominent across government, media, the judiciary, and the professions, and the university's DC location keeps many graduates connected to policy and public-service careers immediately after graduation.

Worth knowing

Howard's status as a research university with a full law school, medical school, and range of graduate programs sets it apart from most HBCUs, which tend to be smaller liberal-arts-scale institutions — students should know they're choosing a comprehensive university experience, not a small college one. Its DC location and deep alumni ties in government and media make it an especially strong option for students already oriented toward law, politics, or journalism.

howard.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate41.3%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1090–1320 · ACT 22–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionFeb 1

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App.

Financial aid formsFeb 1

Early Decision is a binding commitment to enroll if admitted, while Early Action is non-binding and shares the same November 1 deadline.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗