Howard University

Howard University is a private, historically black university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1867 and is located in the Shaw neighborhood. The university offers many different programs for students to study, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in over 120 areas.

Howard University is very special because it is the only historically black university that has the highest level of research activity, called "R1." This means the university does a lot of important research and helps students learn about new discoveries. It is also accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which makes sure schools meet high standards for teaching and learning.

History

19th century

After the American Civil War ended, leaders in Washington, D.C. thought about creating a school to educate Black ministers. Soon, this idea grew into plans for a full university. Within two years, the school included programs in both liberal arts and medicine. They named the university after General Oliver Otis Howard, a Civil War hero who helped start the university and was also the leader of the Freedmen's Bureau at the time. Howard served as the university’s president from 1869 to 1874.

The U.S. Congress officially started Howard University on March 2, 1867. In the early years, funding came from investments, gifts from generous people, and student fees. (Later, the U.S. government began giving money each year to help support the university and its hospital.)

Improvements were made all over the campus. Howard Hall was updated and turned into a place for women students to live.

20th century

From 1926 to 1960, a preacher named Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was the first African-American leader of Howard University.

The difficult years of the Great Depression in the 1930s caused money problems for the university. Even though famous First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt asked for help, Howard’s budget was cut during the time that Franklin D. Roosevelt was president.

In the 1930s, Howard University still did not allow students of different races to live together in the same buildings.

Howard University played an important role in the fight for equal rights. Alain Locke, a teacher of philosophy and the first African American to study at Rhodes Scholar, wrote a book called The New Negro in 1925. This book helped start a time when African American culture grew strongly, called the Harlem Renaissance. Ralph Bunche, the first African American person to win a Nobel Peace Prize, taught political science at Howard. Beginning in 1942, Howard students started sitting at a local cafeteria that would not serve them because of their race, blocking other customers. This was one of the first times people used this kind of peaceful protest, and it helped inspire later movements for equal rights. By January 1943, students began doing regular protests at places in Washington, D.C. that would not serve them. These protests went on until the fall of 1944.

Stokely Carmichael, also known as Kwame Ture, was a student who studied philosophy and divinity at Howard. He started using the words “Black Power” and worked to help people vote in Lowndes County, Alabama. Historian Rayford Logan led the history department. E. Franklin Frazier led the sociology department. Sterling Allen Brown led the English department.

The first sitting U.S. president to speak at Howard was Calvin Coolidge in 1924. He talked about how much African Americans had achieved since the Civil War. He ended by saying he believed African Americans would always do their best for their country.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke to Howard students at their graduation. He talked about his plans to make laws that would help end unfair treatment of African Americans and encouraged schools to help more students who had faced years of unfair treatment.

In 1975, the old Freedman's Hospital closed after 112 years. The same year, Howard University Hospital opened and is still used today as the main teaching hospital for the Howard University College of Medicine.

Also in 1975, Jeanne Sinkford became the first woman to lead any dental school in America when she was named leader of Howard University’s dental school.

In 1989, Howard got a lot of attention when students protested against a new leader the university wanted to add to its board of leaders. Students interrupted celebrations and even took over a main building. Soon after, the leader they protested and the university’s president both left their jobs.

21st century

In April 2007, leaders of the teachers at Howard said the university was in trouble and needed new management. The leader of the university said he would leave in June 2008. In May 2008, the university chose Sidney Ribeau from Bowling Green State University to be the new president. He started a review to improve the university, which led to ending or shrinking 20 out of 171 school programs.

Six years later, in 2013, some leaders of the university said things were still not going well. In April, a leader of the group that picks the university’s leaders wrote a letter saying she did not trust the current president. Two months later, the group of leaders of school departments said the money was being mishandled and asked for the leader in charge of money to leave. In October, the teachers voted that they did not trust the group of leaders of the university. Two weeks after that, the university’s president said he would leave at the end of the year. On October 1, the leaders of the university chose Wayne A. I. Frederick to temporarily lead the university. In July 2014 the leaders made Frederick the permanent president.

In May 2016, President Barack Obama spoke at Howard’s graduation and encouraged students to work toward fairness for all people.

In 2018, about 1,000 students refused to leave the university for nine days. They wanted changes in how the university used money after news came out that some employees had taken money they should not have. After the protest ended, the leaders of the university agreed to meet most of the students’ requests. This led to an examination by the U.S. Department of Education, which watched the university’s money more closely for a time. This extra watching ended in late 2019.

In May 2021, the university said its school of arts would be named after actor Chadwick A. Boseman. Boseman had been a student at Howard and had helped protest changes to the school of arts years before he became famous.

In October 2021, students protested because of problems with mold, mice, and bad living conditions in the places where students lived. They wanted better living conditions and a say in who helps lead the university. In 2023, Howard University borrowed $300 million to help fix housing problems, part of a larger plan to spend $785 million to build and fix buildings for learning and arts.

In March 2022, Howard University said it would spend $785 million over four years to build new buildings for science, arts, and communications, and to fix up other buildings.

In 2023, Howard University was chosen to lead a research center for important military technology.

In February 2025, Howard University became the first university created for African Americans to reach the highest level of research activity. In November 2025, MacKenzie Scott gave the university $80 million—one of the largest gifts in the school’s history. This gift included $17 million for the Howard University College of Medicine, the first medical school at a university for African Americans. In recent years, Scott has given $132 million to Howard, including $40 million in 2020, and $12 million in 2023.

Campus

The campus of Howard University is 256 acres big and is often called "The Mecca". It is located in northwest Washington, D.C.

After World War I, many new buildings were added to the campus. Some important places on campus include Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, and the Founders Library. The Howard University Gallery of Art, started in 1928, has over 4,000 pieces of art.

The university has many places for students to live, including Drew Hall for first-year students and several other halls for older students. There is also a hospital on campus, Howard University Hospital, which opened in 1975. The campus is home to a radio station, WHUR-FM, and a television station, WHUT-TV.

Organization

Howard University is guided by a board of trustees. This board includes teachers from the undergraduate and graduate colleges, students, and alumni who all help make important decisions for the university.

Academics

Howard University has many schools and colleges, including the College of Engineering and Architecture, College of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy, College of Arts and Sciences, Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts, College of Dentistry, School of Business, Cathy Hughes School of Communications, College of Medicine, School of Law, Middle School of Mathematics and Science, School of Divinity, School of Education, and School of Social Work.

The university has many famous and accomplished teachers, such as a member of Congress, a pioneer in blood banking, an Emmy-winning actor, a suffragist, a civil rights lawyer, a media entrepreneur, a marine biologist, a surgeon, and journalists.

Howard offers special honors programs for its best students, including programs in Arts and Sciences, Education, Business, and Communications.

Howard works with the New York Institute of Technology on a special program that lets students earn both a Bachelor of Science and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in seven years.

In 2017, Howard started the Bison STEM Scholars Program to help students from groups that are usually underrepresented in science and math fields. These students get full scholarships and work toward getting a PhD or a combined MD–PhD in science, technology, engineering, or math. The program was renamed the Martha and Bruce Karsh STEM Scholars Program after a large donation.

In 2017, Google started a program called “Howard University West” to help increase diversity in the tech industry. This program, later named “Tech Exchange,” expanded in 2018 to include other schools. Howard students in the program learn from Google engineers, practice coding, and experience tech culture in California.

In July 2022, Disney started the Disney Storytellers Fund to support creative projects by students at Howard’s Cathy Hughes School of Communications and Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. The fund gives students up to $60,000 and mentorship to help create new stories.

Howard’s main research building is the Interdisciplinary Research Building, opened in 2016. It is a modern facility designed to help teachers and students work together on new ideas and discoveries.

The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center is one of the world’s largest collections of materials about the history and culture of people of African descent. It collects and preserves many important resources for research.

Howard also has a center called the Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation, which works with NASA to study the atmosphere and climate.

The Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, started in 1993, helps Howard students study and work around the world. It offers programs, scholarships, and research on international issues.

Howard University has several publications. The Hilltop is the student newspaper, started in 1924. The university also publishes The Journal of Negro Education, the Howard University Bison Yearbook, The Capstone e-newsletter, and Howard Magazine.

The Howard University Libraries include nine branches and centers. The main library is the Founders Library, opened in 1939. Other libraries serve the School of Business, School of Divinity, School of Social Work, and the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, among others.

Student life

Howard University has many activities for its students. It has 21 sports teams that compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. In February 2024, the Howard University Ice Skating Club became the first historically black college or university to compete in an intercollegiate figure skating competition.

Howard has around 10,000 students, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 7:1. There are over 200 student groups and clubs on campus. Howard is known for producing top students, including several Rhodes Scholars.

The university has many traditions. Homecoming week in the fall is a big event with football games, dances, and performances. Springfest in the spring has smaller celebrations like fashion shows and talent contests. The Bison Ball honors students and teachers for their achievements. Resfest is a competition for first-year students living in dorms.

Athletics

Main article: Howard Bison

Most of Howard's 21 NCAA Division I varsity teams compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

In February 2024, the Howard University Ice Skating Club became the first HBCU organization to compete in an intercollegiate figure skating competition; that competition was the Blue Hen Ice Classic. The club competed in the Team Maneuvers – Low event, team skater Gabrielle Francis competed in the Pre-Preliminary Women Excel event, and club president Maya James competed in the Juvenile Women Short Program.

Students

Howard is one of the five largest HBCUs in the nation with around 10,000 students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 7:1.

Howard is a selective institution. The incoming freshman class of fall 2021 had 29,391 applicants, and 10,362 (35%) were accepted into Howard. Approximately 25% of the student body is male, as of 2025.

There are over 200 student organizations and special interest groups established on campus.

Howard produced four Rhodes Scholars between 1986 and 2017. Between 1998 and 2009, Howard University produced a Marshall Scholar, two Truman Scholars, twenty-two Fulbright Scholars and ten Pickering Fellows.

In 2020, 82% of first-year students received need-based financial aid.

Greek letter organizations

Howard University has many academic and social Greek letter organizations on campus. Howard is the founding site of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and five of the nine NPHC organizations. Howard is one of four HBCUs with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest academic honor society in the U.S.

Events

Howard Homecoming

Howard Homecoming week is the most prominent and richest cultural tradition of the institution. Over 100,000 of alumni, students, celebrity guests, and visitors are in attendance to patronize the many events and attractions affiliated with the festive week on and near campus. While the specific calendar of events changes from year to year, the traditional homecoming events include the Homecoming Football Game and Tailgate, Pep Rally, Coronation Ball, Greek Step-Show (Howard NPHC Greeks), and Fashion Show. After a two-year hiatus, the Yardfest returned in 2016 as one of the cherished traditions.

Howard's first official homecoming was held in 1924 and it takes place every fall semester with a new theme developed by the homecoming committee.

Springfest

Springfest is an annual tradition created by the Undergraduate Student Association (UGSA) to celebrate the arrival of spring. Springfest is similar to homecoming week in the fall but on a smaller scale and with more emphasis on the student body. Springfest events traditionally include the Fashion Show, Talent Show, Vendor Fair, Poetry Showcase, Beauty Conference, Charity Basketball Game, and a major community service event. The schedule of events changes slightly each year.

Bison Ball

The Bison Ball and Excellence Awards is an annual black tie gala hosted by the Howard University Student Association (HUSA). A select number of students, faculty, organizations, and administrators from the Howard community are honored for their exceptional accomplishments. This event takes place near the end of every spring semester.

Resfest

Resfest week is a Howard tradition that involves freshmen living in residence halls on campus competing in several organized competitions (field day, academic debate, dance, stroll, step-show, etc.) for campus bragging rights. This event takes place on campus near the end of every spring semester.

Notable alumni

Howard University has many famous graduates. These include Kamala Harris, the 49th vice president of the United States, and Thurgood Marshall, a United States Supreme Court justice. Other notable alumni are Mike Espy, the 25th United States secretary of agriculture, and Andrew Young, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the UN and as a U.S. congressman from Georgia.

The university also counts writers like Toni Morrison, who won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize, and Zora Neale Hurston, a well-known author and anthropologist. In the arts, graduates include actors such as Chadwick Boseman and Phylicia Rashad. Howard University has granted over 120,000 degrees and has the most black doctorate recipients of any university.

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Howard University people.