Howard University

Admission to Howard University is moderately competitive, while its position has moved upward in national evaluations. In the 2027 US News American university rankings, the institution reached a rank of 73, climbing from 110 in 2018. For the 2025 application cycle, the university posted an acceptance rate of 41.3%, which was higher than 27% of peer schools among private research universities with similar rankings. This relatively low admit rate underscores that applicants face meaningful competition. In terms of student commitment, Howard recorded a yield rate of 19.4%, which was higher than 73% of peer schools. Because fewer than one in five admitted applicants chooses to matriculate, the university does not capture the majority of its admitted pool, yet it draws enrolled students more effectively than most institutions in its peer group. For families planning their applications, these figures show a university gaining ground in national visibility, where securing an acceptance requires a competitive profile, though admitted students often consider multiple alternatives.

Applicants to Howard University generally need solid secondary school preparation to secure admission, though standardized test requirements carry less weight than in past cycles. In 2025, enrolled students posted a median SAT score of 1210, which was higher than 4% of peer schools among private research universities with similar rankings. High school coursework remains an essential element of evaluation, with most admitted candidates maintaining strong classroom records. Meanwhile, standardized test submission has dropped considerably, with only a small fraction of freshmen choosing to provide scores. In unofficial applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, admitted international students had a median unweighted GPA of 3.41 and a median SAT score of 1150. These unofficial findings indicate that international candidates who maintain consistent marks around a B-plus level and achieve scores near the university median can build a viable profile for admission.

Howard University demonstrates clear academic strengths in healthcare, legal education, and the social sciences, with undergraduate degrees well distributed across several disciplines. In 2025, the university conferred 2,266 bachelor's degrees, with its three largest majors—Biology/Biological Sciences, Political Science and Government, and Psychology—accounting for 26% of all undergraduate degrees. This distribution shows that undergraduate enrollment is not overly concentrated in a single subject. The university's highest-ranked programs are centered in its graduate divisions rather than its largest undergraduate fields. In the 2026 US News graduate rankings, Howard's medical school placed 2nd in primary care and 3rd in research, while its social work master's program ranked 12th in 2024. Earnings data from 2023 reveal that technical and health-related majors deliver the strongest early financial returns, with Computer Science graduates earning a median of $103,053 and Registered Nursing graduates earning $90,669 one year after completion. Prospective students interested in pre-medical, nursing, or computing tracks will find strong alignment between Howard's reputation and post-graduate compensation.

Howard University enrolled 14,890 students in 2025, maintaining an academic community with a strong female majority and a distinct demographic profile centered on domestic Black scholars. In the incoming freshman class, international students numbered 76, representing 2.8% of new undergraduates, while Asian students numbered 4, accounting for 0.1%. Both international and Asian representations remain similarly limited among returning undergraduates and graduate students, where each group accounts for only a minor fraction of overall enrollment. Female students constitute the predominant demographic across campus, making up nearly three-quarters of the entering first-year class and roughly two-thirds of graduate students. For prospective applicants, these demographics show a specialized campus culture where African American students form the primary student body, while international and Asian students comprise small cohorts within the broader university.

The student body at Howard University reveals a sharp age distinction between undergraduate and graduate programs. In 2025, the undergraduate population totaled 11,519 students, with 41.4% aged 18 to 19 and 37.1% aged 20 to 21. Another modest portion consists of students under 18, demonstrating that undergraduate campus life is dominated by traditional-age college students living and studying together. By contrast, graduate degree programs enroll a more mature cohort: among graduate students, 36.9% are between 25 and 29 years old, followed by individuals in their early twenties and early thirties. This profile indicates that campus housing, activities, and student services primarily cater to young undergraduates pursuing their initial degrees, while graduate programs serve early-career adults focused on advanced professional training.

International enrollment at Howard University represents a small proportion of the student community, with representation trending downward over the past decade at both the undergraduate and graduate tiers. In 2025, international students accounted for 3.9% of the undergraduate population, down from earlier years. This proportion was higher than 33% of peer schools among private research universities with similar rankings. The graduate division experienced a similar contraction, where the international proportion stood at 5.9% in 2025 compared to a previous high nearly a decade prior. Among degree recipients, international graduates are not evenly dispersed but rather concentrate within select academic disciplines. At the bachelor's level, international representation peaked in Biology/Biological Sciences, General, where international students comprised 7.9% of degree earners. In graduate studies, foreign students accounted for smaller shares, showing presence in disciplines such as Architecture at the master's level and Medicine at the doctoral stage. Prospective international applicants should recognize that while foreign scholars are represented across degree tiers, they form a modest share of the overall student population.

Students evaluating Howard University can consider several alternative four-year institutions located within a short distance in the capital area. Located just 1.4 kilometers away, The Catholic University of America is a private institution ranked 148th among National Universities in 2027. About 2.2 kilometers from campus sits George Washington University, another private institution, which placed 59th on the same 2027 national university list. Further west at a distance of 3.1 kilometers is Georgetown University, holding the 23rd spot among National Universities in 2027. Finally, American University is located 3.9 kilometers away and achieved a rank of 95th in the 2027 national rankings. These nearby private institutions provide prospective students with a spectrum of academic profiles and campus settings in close proximity to Howard.

Campus safety at Howard University has shown substantial improvement over the past decade, characterized by a steady decrease in reported offenses relative to the student population. In 2025, the university registered a crime rate per 1,000 students of 2.6, down markedly from 19 in 2016. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, vehicular and street-level property crimes formed the primary security concerns on campus. Motor vehicle theft and robbery were the most frequent offenses during this timeframe, totaling 26 incidents each. Other recorded violations over the same three years included burglaries, sex offenses, and aggravated assaults, though these took place at lower cumulative counts. The figures indicate that Howard operates with an urban safety profile where property crime constitutes the primary day-to-day challenge, but the overall crime rate per 1,000 students has fallen to a comparatively low level. Families evaluating the campus environment can note that ongoing precautions remain appropriate in a city setting despite the long-term decline in incident rates.