University of the District of Columbia

Overview

Rankings

• #1 Best HBCUs for Education
• #15 Best HBCUs for Computer Science
• #15 Best HBCUs for Visual
• #15 Best HBCUs for Data Science
• #15 Best HBCUs for Cybersecurity
• #15 Best HBCUs for Information Technology
• #15 Best HBCUs for Graphic Design
• #17 Most Affordable HBCUs

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into University of the District of Columbia? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Washington, District of Columbia, University of the District of Columbia enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 30%.

Retention Rate

68%

Full-Time Faculty

38%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$7,925

Student–Faculty Ratio

6:1

Diversity Index

0.61

First-Gen Students

51%

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend University of the District of Columbia? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at University of the District of Columbia is $12,514, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $10,648. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $10,268 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $24,872 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$5,662

Out-of-State

$12,514

Avg Net Price

$10,648

Median Debt

$24,872

Pell Grant Rate

36%

Federal Loan Rate

19%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at University of the District of Columbia — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is University of the District of Columbia Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of University of the District of Columbia report median earnings of $44,236, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry

$36,358

8 Years

$40,032

10 Years

$44,236

Debt-to-Earnings

0.56x

Earning > $25K

53%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does University of the District of Columbia Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

University of the District of Columbia is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 3.78%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 24.7% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 15.3% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $40,000, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

3.78%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

15.3%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

24.7%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$54,346

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is University of the District of Columbia? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs around the national average at University of the District of Columbia. Its economic connectedness score is 0.88, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias sits near the middle of the range (0.07). Around 3% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

0.88

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.07

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

2.6%

Support Ratio

0.87

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-10,257,015

Top Programs

The fields University of the District of Columbia awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Education 28% $67,461 early-career
• Business & Marketing 14% $62,129 early-career
• Humanities 9%
• Legal Studies 8% $47,441 early-career
• Health Professions 7% $95,455 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 6% $51,775 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 4%
• Social Sciences 3% $50,714 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.