+24%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Howard University rose 24% between 2021 and 2024 ($28.9k → $35.8k).
District of Columbia · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's
Howard
Washington, District of Columbia. 9,604 undergraduate students. 156 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Howard
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Howard University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (2.7% → 0.0%).
+24%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Howard University rose 24% between 2021 and 2024 ($28.9k → $35.8k).
+14%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Howard University rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 (8.9k → 10.1k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Howard earnings, debt, and completion vs. the District of Columbia median
Each tile compares this institution to the District of Columbia median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$63,066+33% · 6→10y
District of Columbia median $49,020$47,379
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry68.9%+40% · '97→'24
District of Columbia median 55.8%$19,200+165% · '97→'20
At program completion9,604+52% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS90.1%+1% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time34.9%-39% · '01→'24
latest cohort$33,344+267% · '00→'24
out-of-state $33,344SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Howard earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Howard
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
4.1%Median federal debt $19,200 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $63,066 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Howard enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+40%
Howard · completion · 150% rose
50.0% → 70.0%
+130%
Howard · completion · 100% rose
25.8% → 59.6%
+52%
Howard · undergrad enrollment rose
6,636 → 10,108
+267%
Howard · in-state tuition rose
$9,745 → $35,810
+267%
Howard · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,745 → $35,810
+165%
Howard · median debt rose
$9,250 → $24,500
-100%
Howard · cohort default rate fell
7.2% → 0.0%
+34%
Howard · earnings_median_10yr rose
$46,900 → $63,066
+27%
Howard · earnings_median_8yr rose
$43,200 → $54,819
+35%
Howard · earnings_median_6yr rose
$35,000 → $47,379
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Howard programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences$171,957Medicine$158,360Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$148,440Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$147,247Dentistry$142,548Educational Administration and Supervision$130,266Business Administration, Management and Operations$126,336Computer Systems Analysis$118,399Law$105,202Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$105,029Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$91,626Accounting and Related Services$89,996Management Information Systems and Services$86,580Finance and Financial Management Services$81,259Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$80,284Civil Engineering$77,997Social Work$75,889Business Administration, Management and Operations$74,786Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$72,832Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$69,804Health and Medical Administrative Services$69,437Theological and Ministerial Studies$65,972Communication and Media Studies$64,828Criminal Justice and Corrections$63,116
Showing top 24 of 39 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
39 Howard programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS · CIP 39
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Medicine$158,360Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$147,247Dentistry$142,548Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$105,029Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General$55,269Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$91,626Health and Medical Administrative Services$69,437Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences$171,957Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$69,804Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$148,440Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$80,284
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
Marketing$62,549Management Information Systems and Services$86,580Finance and Financial Management Services$81,259Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other$54,645Business Administration, Management and Operations$126,336Business Administration, Management and Operations$74,786Accounting and Related Services$89,996
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Howard
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$47,850
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 32
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $49,005
- HS-only baseline · DC
- $47,200
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 26
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Howard in District of Columbia
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Howard graduates earn $X” — not “Howard makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Howard caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.