Bachelor's · Washington, District of Columbia

Is Chemical Engineering at Howard University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.7 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $89,641; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: Not enough graduates to report; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $21,726; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $140k (likely $140k – $164k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $52k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in DC; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 3.7 years (likely 2.6–5.6); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $170k (likely −$14k – $389k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $721k (likely $360k – $1.19M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 74%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26