Howard University: Statistics

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Position Category
#577 of 14,131 In the World
#203 of 2,597 In North America
#179 of 2,496 In the United States
#4 of 15 In District of Columbia
#4 of 14 In Washington
#136 of 1,063 For Social Work
Top50% For 148 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
41%
Average SAT
1205
Average ACT
25
Avg. cost to attend
$33,368 /y
Aid receiving
100%
Undergraduates
11,519
Graduates
3,371
Male:Female Ratio
29:71
Control
Private
not-for-profit
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
www.howard.edu

Howard University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Howard University has an acceptance rate of 41% and is among the top 11% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 41% 40% 42%
Applicants 34,211 9,963 24,248
Admissions 14,144 3,967 10,177
Freshmen enrolled full time 2,735 672 2,063
Freshmen enrolled part time 3 1 2

7,410 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

1,482 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
626 or 23%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1090
or below

75% of them
had 1320
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Howard University are 1090-1320 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
257 or 9%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 22
or below

75% of them
had 28
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Howard University are 22-28 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Recommendations Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
Formal demonstration of competencies Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Secondary school rank Considered but not required
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

Black or African American 10050 (68%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 2179 (15%)
Hispanic 972 (7%)
Nonresident Alien 651 (4%)
Two or more races 644 (4%)
Asian 246 (2%)
White 120 (0.8%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 9 (0.1%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 6 (0%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The average net cost to attend Howard University is $33,368 per year, calculated as the sum of the average cost of tuition, room and board, books, and supplies, reduced by the amount of average financial aid received.

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Net average cost to attend
$33,368/year
Average aid awarded
$21,262
Students receiving aid
100%

Average costs by household income

<$30K $46,051
$30-48K $47,477
$48-75K $50,245
$75-110K $52,981
$110K+ $54,270

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $35,344$38,454
Tuition in-state $35,344$38,454
Tuition out-of-state $35,344$38,454
Fee in-district $466$724
Fee in-state $466$724
Fee out-of-state $466$724

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 6,397
Combined charge for room and board $15,880
Room charge $11,360
Meal charge $5,783

Howard University majors

Howard University has granted 1,995 bachelor's degrees across 47 programs, 342 master's across 33 programs, and 537 doctorate degrees across 32 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Howard University.

Major Bachelor Master Doctoral
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 202 7
Political Science and Government, General 194 2
Psychology, General 170 3 9
Law 152
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other 137
Social Work 123 4
Health Services & Allied Health & Health Sciences, General 97
Medicine 95
Computer Science 81 2 11
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 87
Finance, General 72 9
Marketing, Other 76
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 74
Business Administration and Management, General 73
Dentistry 72
Criminal Justice & Safety Studies 64
Pharmacy 53
Sociology, General 39 4 5
Economics, General 37 1 9
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other 46
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education & Fitness, General 46
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, General 44
Architecture 24 18
English Language and Literature, General 40 1
Occupational Therapy & Therapist 38
International Business & Trade & Commerce 33
Mechanical Engineering 32 1
Theatre & Theatre Arts Management 32
Art & Art Studies, General 24 3
Health & Health Care Administration & Management 27
Divinity & Ministry 19 6
Management Information Systems, General 25
Mathematics, General 18 2 4
Chemistry, General 20 2 1
History, General 15 2 5
Accounting 14 6
Elementary Education and Teaching 19 1
Chemical Engineering 18 1
Nutrition Sciences 16 1 2
Physical Therapy & Therapist 19
Computer Engineering, General 18
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 15 3
Human Development and Family Studies, General 18
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management 18
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other 16
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 8 7
Music, General 13 2
African-American & Black Studies 14
Physics, General 8 6
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education & Fitness, Other 14
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Other 11
Philosophy 11
Film & Cinema & Media Studies 10
Civil Engineering, General 9
African Studies 3 2 3
School Psychology 6 2
Public Health, General 7
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General 3 3
Higher Education & Higher Education Administration 6
Spanish Language and Literature 6
Clinical Laboratory Science & Medical Technology & Technologist 5
Communication and Media Studies, Other 5
Data Science, General 5
Counseling Psychology 4
Special Education and Teaching, General 4
Medical Radiologic Technology & Science - Radiation Therapist 3
Pharmaceutical Sciences 3
Anatomy 2
Biochemistry 2
Educational Psychology 2
Legal Studies 2
Microbiology, General 2
Health & Medical Physics 1
Physiology, General 1
Radio and Television 1
Secondary Education and Teaching 1
Grand Total 1,995 342 537

Howard University has a graduation rate of 70%, which is among the 22% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 70% 59% 74%
  • Full-time retention rate - 91%
  • Part-time retention rate - 29%

Publications & Citations

Howard University is a world-class research university with 25,046 scientific papers published and 580,533 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Genetics, Biochemistry, and Environmental Science.

Publications
25,046
Citations
580,533

Publication / Citation count by topic

Biology
14,137 / 380,633
Medicine
13,000 / 375,085
Chemistry
11,528 / 308,373
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
11,209 / 262,464
Physics
9,124 / 201,479
Engineering
8,977 / 203,234
Computer Science
8,217 / 212,654
Genetics
7,769 / 237,678
Biochemistry
7,567 / 237,717
Environmental Science
7,392 / 159,453
Psychology
6,623 / 181,172
Political Science
6,527 / 126,407
Sociology
6,187 / 174,449
Quantum and Particle physics
6,126 / 115,407
Law
6,078 / 123,190
Organic Chemistry
5,851 / 126,768
Pathology
5,180 / 199,800
Philosophy
4,666 / 84,357
Materials Science
4,277 / 91,585
Mathematics
3,961 / 120,953
Geology
3,800 / 79,790
Geography and Cartography
3,629 / 69,997
Psychiatry
3,528 / 118,328
History
3,333 / 53,933
Economics
3,119 / 79,688
Business
3,075 / 71,736
Statistics
2,847 / 104,134
Surgery
2,835 / 71,709
Paleontology
2,733 / 61,708
Ecology
2,592 / 69,413
Public Health
2,444 / 114,164
Neuroscience
2,344 / 73,306
Demography
2,333 / 116,121
Immunology
2,231 / 60,413
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
2,229 / 40,089
Optical Engineering
2,216 / 73,348
Archaeology
2,192 / 38,779
Linguistics
2,140 / 38,701
Metallurgical Engineering
2,093 / 43,155
Development Studies
1,955 / 47,524

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 281 2663
1994 269 2776
1995 247 2715
1996 246 3047
1997 302 3132
1998 273 3534
1999 269 3668
2000 275 4335
2001 314 4790
2002 417 5559
2003 421 6454
2004 417 7450
2005 480 9128
2006 484 9739
2007 618 10916
2008 540 12776
2009 570 14207
2010 582 15201
2011 702 16370
2012 681 17680
2013 732 20341
2014 728 22310
2015 727 24027
2016 775 24652
2017 785 26525
2018 784 27252
2019 885 29699
2020 964 34697
2021 1045 37745
2022 1093 37296
2023 1229 38274
2024 979 36506
2025 824 32322
Academic rankings

Howard University alumni

  1. Kamala Harris

    Kamala Harris
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1964-.. (age 62)
    Enrolled in Howard University
    In 1986 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science
    Occupations
    juristlawyerwriterpresidential candidateprosecutor
    Biography

    Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and first Asian American vice president, and the highest-ranking female and Asian American official in U.S. history. Harris represented California in the U.S. Senate from 2017 to 2021 and was the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the party's nominee in the 2024 presidential election.

  2. Chadwick Boseman

    Chadwick Boseman
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1976-2020 (aged 44)
    Enrolled in Howard University
    Graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts
    Occupations
    television actordirectoractorvoice actorfilm producer
    Biography

    Chadwick Aaron Boseman was an American actor and playwright. Through his two-decade career, he appeared in a number of projects spanning both blockbuster and independent films, and received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award.

  3. Sean Combs

    Sean Combs
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1969-.. (age 57)
    Occupations
    chief executive officerfilm actortelevision producerphilanthropistfashion designer
    Biography

    Sean John Combs, also known professionally as Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy), is an American former rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. Born in Harlem, Combs worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993. He is credited with the discovery and development of musical artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher, among others.

  4. Taraji P. Henson

    Taraji P. Henson
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1970-.. (age 56)
    Occupations
    film actorfilm directortelevision actorsingeractor
    Biography

    Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, alongside nominations for an Academy Award, six Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2016 and 2024, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

All 100 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names HU
Founded 1867
Motto Veritas et Utilitas
Truth and Service
Colors red, white, blue
Academic calendar August to May. Also Summer Session (June - July)
Total FTE staff 3,030
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address 2400 Sixth St NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20059
United States
City population 690,000
Phone 2028066100

Howard University in social media