Get Jeff Selingo's buyers and sellers list here

Home
›
Colleges
›
Howard University
›
Admissions

Howard University
Admissions

Interested in attending Howard University?

On this page, you'll learn how difficult it is to get into Howard University, we'll dig into high school grades and test scores, and you'll find out the factors the school considers when reviewing applications.

42
%
Acceptance rate
3.68
Average High School GPA
1204
SAT Midpoint
February 1
Regular admission deadline

Admission Rates

Is it difficult to get into Howard University?

42%

Using the most up-to-date data on record, Howard accepted 42% of applicants. We classify this as selective.

In the most recent year, 37,270 people applied and 15,724 were accepted.

Accepted/Applied
Women
11409 / 26532 (43%)
Men
4315 / 10738 (40%)

Acceptance rates at colleges can change over time, with some becoming more competitive and others accepting more students. Here’s a look at the acceptance rate trend for the past 3 years at Howard University:

100%
86.0
72.0
58.0
44.0
30.0
2024
2025
2026

Acceptance rates at schools can vary depending on if the student is in-state, out-of-state, or international.

16%
Enrollment of those accepted
Medium
Yield rate

Of those accepted, 16% ended up enrolling at Howard University, making their yield rate Medium. The yield rate is the percentage of accepted students who enroll at the school. You can use the yield rate to find out how coveted a school is for the students who apply to it.

Application Factors

You can increase your chances of getting into Howard University by looking at what the school considers during the application process.

Here are the things Howard considers:

Very Important

  • Academic GPA
  • Rigor of Secondary School Record
  • Standardized Test Scores

Important

  • Character/Personal Qualities

Considered

  • Alumni/AE Relation
  • Application Essay
  • Class Rank
  • Extracurricular Activities
  • First Generation
  • Level of Applicant's Interest
  • Recommendation(s)
  • Talent/Ability
  • Volunteer Work
  • Work Experience

Not Considered

  • Geographical Residence
  • Interview
  • Religious Affiliation/Commitment
  • State Residency

Grades & Testing

Do you have the grades and test scores to get into Howard University?

3.68
Average High School GPA
1204
SAT Midpoint

Grades

Students who recently attended Howard University as freshmen had an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.68.

These are the high school grade point averages (unweighted) of students who enroll:

High School GPAs
4.00
7%
3.75-3.99
43%
3.50-3.74
30%
3.25-3.49
13%
3.00-3.24
6%
2.50-2.99
1%

Applicants submitting SAT Scores

23%

Applicants submitting ACT Scores

9%
SAT Math Scores
25th Percentile
510
Math Mean
593
75th Percentile
620
SAT Verb Scores
25th Percentile
540
Verbal Mean
611
75th Percentile
660
SAT Composite Scores
25th Percentile
1050
Composite Mean
1204
75th Percentile
1270

Application Deadlines

These are the deadlines for applying to Howard University. Application deadlines are subject to change, so please verify all deadlines with the school.

Regular Admissions

February 1
Regular admission deadline
April 15
Application notification

Early Decision

Early Decision is a program in which students commit to attend a school if they are accepted. Some schools have a higher acceptance rate for Early Decision than regular decision. Howard's Early Decision acceptance rate is 84%, compared to 42% overall. If you’re sure you want to attend Howard University, you might consider applying Early Decision.

November 15
Applications Due
December 30
Notification Date
84%
Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Mistakes were made
(But not by you!)

These are the top 10 mistakes people make when searching for colleges

Top Ten Mistakes

CollegeIQ® relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

© 2026 Whittier Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service