Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Howard University

A debt load of $27,000 against first-year earnings of $36,340 sounds manageable on paper—until you look at what other DC graduates in this field typically earn. Liberal arts programs at Georgetown and Trinity Washington report outcomes in the $50,000-$66,000 range, suggesting that DC's robust job market for generalists can yield significantly higher returns. The question becomes whether Howard's program, which we're evaluating through national peer data rather than its own reported outcomes, positions graduates to capture that DC premium or leaves them competing at national rates.

The estimated debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 is reasonable by national standards for liberal arts degrees, meaning the typical graduate could theoretically pay off loans in under two years of total earnings. But that calculation changes dramatically if actual starting salaries land closer to the DC median of $58,500 rather than the $36,000 we're working with here. Howard's 35% admission rate and strong academic profile suggest its graduates likely outperform basic national benchmarks, but without program-specific data, we're working in the dark.

The practical reality: you're paying private school debt levels based on estimates from peer institutions nationwide, while hoping your graduate taps into DC's substantially higher earning potential. If Howard's career services effectively connects liberal arts majors to the city's policy, nonprofit, and communications sectors, this could work out considerably better than these numbers suggest. But given the uncertainty, have a frank conversation about backup plans if those DC doors don't open immediately after graduation.