Howard University
Washington, District of Columbia · Private Nonprofit · 41.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 41/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, DC, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 41/100 in the strict mechanical framework - but this is a school where the framework genuinely understates institutional value, and the numbers need context. Tuition is $35,810 per year, but the net price of $50,539 exceeds tuition because of high room, board, and DC living costs, putting the four-year all-in cost at $202,156. Average earnings six years after entry are $39,500, rising sharply to a median $63,066 at ten years, with a payback period of 12.2 years and debt-to-earnings of 0.62. What drags the ROI score down is the 44.8% repayment rate (low) and the cost-to-early-earnings gap. Many Howard graduates pursue medicine, law, business, and engineering with graduate study downstream, which suppresses six-year earnings while building toward higher long-run incomes. The institution-wide picture is shaped by the large cohorts in psychology, biology, communications, and pre-med biology that have weaker undergrad-only earnings.
How Howard University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score41/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Howard University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $35,810/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $35,810/yr |
| Average net price | $50,539/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $202,156 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $63,066 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $39,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $260 |
| Estimated payback period | 12.2 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 70.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,108 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $35,810/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $50,539/year, or roughly $202,156 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $46,051/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $54,270/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,500, which works out to about $260 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($39,500) and comes to 0.62, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $46,051 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $47,477 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $50,245 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $52,981 |
| $110,001+ | $54,270 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $46,051 per year net - extraordinarily high for the lowest income bracket and indicative of weak need-based aid scaling. Four-year cost is $184,000+. For low-income students, the federal-loan and Pell stack covers only a fraction of cost; significant borrowing or external scholarships are typically required.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $47,477 to $52,981 per year. Four-year cost runs $190,000-$212,000. The net-price-by-income curve is nearly flat across brackets, signaling that Howard's institutional aid does not heavily discount for middle-class families. The financial case is tough for this tier without significant family contribution.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $54,270 per year, putting four-year cost at $217,080.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Howard University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $60,923 | D |
| International Relations | $65,733 | D |
| Psychology | $59,069 | F |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | $59,909 | F |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $67,881 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $61,316 | D |
| Marketing | $77,820 | B+ |
| Finance and Financial Management | $80,094 | A |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $55,902 | D |
| Registered Nursing | $94,136 | B+ |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Finance and Financial Management
Finance is Howard's standout: 54 grads earning $81,074 at year one and $80,094 at year four, with only $19,959 median debt and a 0.246 debt-to-earnings ratio - an A ROI grade. The Howard-to-Wall Street pipeline (Goldman, JPM, Citi all recruit heavily on campus) is real and produces these numbers. One of the most defensible private-tuition decisions in the program mix.
Registered Nursing
Nursing (43 grads) earns $79,646 at year one and $94,136 at year four, with $27,000 debt and a 0.339 debt-to-earnings ratio - a B+ ROI grade. The DC-Baltimore healthcare market pays well, and Howard's nursing program feeds into it effectively. Strong outcome and a clear-cut bet for students committed to nursing.
Management Information Systems
MIS (35 grads) posts $78,544 first-year and $103,478 four-year earnings, with $20,000 debt and a 0.255 debt-to-earnings ratio - a B+ ROI grade. The four-year jump above $100k reflects strong tech and consulting placement. Quietly one of Howard's best programs.
Biology
Biology is the largest single program at 186 graduates, but reads as weak in undergrad-only terms: $28,696 first-year earnings, $60,923 at four years, $26,000 debt, and a 0.906 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a D ROI grade. The pattern is classic pre-med: students earn little immediately, then enter medical school or PhD programs. The framework misses the long-run upside. Still, students who stop at the bachelor's face a real squeeze.
Psychology
Psychology (132 grads) earns just $18,934 at year one, rising to $59,069 at year four, with $25,000 debt and a 1.32 debt-to-earnings ratio - an F ROI grade. Like biology, many psychology grads pursue graduate school in clinical, social, or industrial-organizational psychology, where outcomes improve. As a terminal degree, the math is difficult, but the four-year earnings recovery suggests downstream credentialing pays off.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 40.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 44.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 39.0% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 45.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Howard University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 41.3% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 530-650 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 560-670 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 22-28 |
| Enrollment | 10,108 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 40.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $11,580 |
Howard admits 41.34% of applicants - moderately selective. SAT mid-ranges are 530-650 math and 560-670 reading; ACT composite mid-range is 22-28. These numbers place Howard solidly in the selective-private tier and explain the strong 70% completion rate.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard University (this school) | 41 | $50,539 | $63,066 |
| Hampton University | 47 | $25,319 | $59,159 |
| Bowie State University | 40 | $19,298 | $54,537 |
| Morgan State University | 34 | $14,985 | $50,698 |
| Delaware State University | 33 | $13,910 | $49,307 |
| Coppin State University | 33 | $9,977 | $46,490 |
Who Thrives Here
Howard enrolls 10,108 students with a 40% Pell rate. The school fits Black students seeking a rigorous selective-private experience embedded in HBCU culture, particularly those targeting medicine, law, finance, engineering, or government careers - fields where the Howard alumni network has historic depth. Students whose long-run plans require graduate school should account for the undergraduate-only earnings undercount when reading the ROI score.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Howard University scores 41/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $50,539 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $63,066 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12.2 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: its 70.0% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a three-year loan repayment rate of 44.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%).
Median debt of $24,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $39,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Howard University: Common Questions
Is Howard University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Howard University scores 41/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $50,539 a year after aid against $63,066 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12.2 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Howard University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $50,539 a year, or roughly $202,156 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Howard University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $63,066 ten years after enrolling, roughly $21,266 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Howard University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 12.2 years for Howard University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Howard University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,500, against average earnings of $39,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Howard University?
The six-year graduation rate is 70.0%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.