by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview lays out the cost of attending Howard University, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
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The cost of attendance at Howard University comes to about $51,450.00 a year.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $35,810.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $15,640.00 |
| Total cost | $51,450.00 |
| That is 57% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $51,450.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$4,091.00 |
| Net price | $47,359.00 |
| That is 44% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $51,450.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,579.00 |
| Net price | $42,871.00 |
| That is 31% above the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees plus living costs. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by around 7.4% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. The detailed projections below compare a degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and a no-aid student. The repayment figures use a ten-year loan at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 7.4% | 7.4% | 7.4% |
| Freshman year | $46,038.00 | $50,858.00 | $55,251.00 |
| Senior year | $57,014.00 | $62,983.00 | $68,424.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $205,584.00 | $227,106.00 | $246,724.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $78,320.00 | $86,519.00 | $93,993.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $2,366.00 | $2,614.00 | $2,839.00 |
| Total amount paid | $283,905.00 | $313,625.00 | $340,717.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 7.4% | 7.4% | 7.4% |
| Freshman year | $46,038.00 | $50,858.00 | $55,251.00 |
| Senior year | $49,440.00 | $54,615.00 | $59,333.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $95,478.00 | $105,473.00 | $114,584.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $36,374.00 | $40,181.00 | $43,652.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,099.00 | $1,214.00 | $1,319.00 |
| Total amount paid | $131,851.00 | $145,654.00 | $158,236.00 |
Read more in the net-price section.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $50,539.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $47,919.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. Here is the average net price for each family-income range:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $44,234.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $45,504.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $49,005.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $50,842.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $51,384.00 |
Run your own numbers with the Howard University Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the financial aid page.
The typical debt load for borrowers leaving Howard University comes to $19,200.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-burden category.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,500.00 |
| 25th | $12,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $19,200.00 |
| 75th | $30,500.00 |
| 90th | $37,500.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. The breakdown below segments borrowers by family income at entry:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,197.00 |
| Middle income | $19,750.00 |
| High income | $18,500.00 |
Low-income borrowers graduate with $697.00 more than graduates from high-income families.
Whether your parents attended college is associated with differences in median debt at graduation.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,464.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500.00 |
First-generation borrowers from Howard University graduate with $964.00 in extra median debt compared with continuing-generation peers.
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at Howard University is $4,750.00. This institution is flagged by federal data for Pell-debt inequity.
The default-rate classification at Howard University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 9.6% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at Howard University add up to $2,265,127,625.00 over 53,323 recipients.
Veterans and current servicemembers may be eligible for major federal education benefits like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 254 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $23,530.00 |
For the full rundown of veteran and military benefits, see the college veterans page.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh Howard University, the questions below are worth your time:
Explore the related pages below for a deeper look at the cost picture:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.