What Howard University tends to offer
A historically Black mission with national reach
Howard describes itself as a comprehensive, research-intensive historically Black private university with particular emphasis on educational opportunity for Black students and a mission centered on excellence, leadership, service, and truth.
Source: Mission & Core Values
Broad undergraduate and professional pathways
Howard comprises 14 schools and colleges and reports more than 120 programs across undergraduate, graduate, and professional study. That structure places liberal arts, business, communications, engineering, health fields, fine arts, law, and medicine within one university network.
Sources: Facts & Figures, About Howard
Washington is part of the opportunity
The main campus is in northwest Washington, D.C., near government, advocacy, research, cultural, and professional organizations. The location can expand internship and network possibilities, but students still need to pursue those opportunities actively.
Source: Howard at a Glance
How the environment maps to Navastra preferences
MODERATE
Community closeness
Howard’s historically Black mission, traditions, alumni legacy, and residence-life programming can give students meaningful shared identity and hall-level community within a large university.
Uncertainty: The reviewed evidence does not establish a universal, durable smaller-community system or the same depth of belonging for every student.
Sources: Mission & Core Values, About Howard, Become a Resident Assistant
HIGH
Career orientation
A comprehensive set of undergraduate and professional schools, an urban capital location, and an explicit leadership-and-service mission place professional development and public impact close to the institution’s identity.
Uncertainty: Location and institutional networks create access rather than guaranteed internships, mentorship, employment, or advancement.
Sources: Facts & Figures, Mission & Core Values, Howard at a Glance
HIGH
Urban access
Howard’s main campus sits in Washington, D.C., giving students direct access to a dense metropolitan environment and many public, cultural, and professional institutions.
Uncertainty: The practical value of the location depends on transportation, time, cost, safety considerations, and a student’s willingness to engage beyond campus.
Source: Howard at a Glance
HIGH
Social energy
More than 10,000 undergraduates, 14 schools and colleges, graduate and professional programs, and Division I athletics support a busy university environment with many overlapping communities.
Uncertainty: A large and active institution can still feel fragmented, and the availability or character of activities changes across programs and years.
Sources: Facts & Figures, Howard University institutional data
Consider Howard University if
- You want to study in an institution where Black history, excellence, culture, leadership, and professional achievement are central rather than peripheral.
- You want a broad research university with undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools in one academic network.
- You are energized by Washington, D.C., and willing to seek internships, mentors, service, and professional connections beyond the classroom.
- You want strong traditions and shared identity alongside the activity and choice of a large university.
Skip Howard University if
- You want a small college where most students share the same curriculum and faculty access is structurally intimate.
- You prefer a quiet residential setting separated from the pace, cost, and complexity of a major city.
- You want an institution whose history, cultural identity, and service mission play a less visible role in campus life.
- You do not want to manage a large university with multiple schools, administrative systems, and competing opportunities.
FEDERAL CLERY DATA
Campus safety statistics
Federal Clery records describe reported incidents within defined campus geography. They are not a measure of crime prevalence or an overall safety rating.
How Navastra reached this view
Navastra interprets Howard’s visible mission, institutional structure, Washington setting, and current official facts through preference dimensions. It does not calculate an individual fit score on this public page, predict admission, or estimate a financial-aid award.
Read the complete Navastra methodology →
Sources
- Mission & Core Values - Howard University (official, retrieved 2026-08-17)
- Facts & Figures - Howard University (official, retrieved 2026-08-17)
- About Howard - Howard University (official, retrieved 2026-08-17)
- Howard at a Glance - Howard University (official, retrieved 2026-08-17)
- Become a Resident Assistant - Howard University (official, retrieved 2026-08-22)
- Howard University institutional data - U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (federal, retrieved 2026-08-17)