University of the District of Columbia
Washington, DC · Public · Large city · UDC
Public institution in Washington, DC · 3,080 undergraduates · $44,236 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 4%Student-faculty ratio
- Top 11%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 21%Cost of attendance
- Top 22%Out-of-state tuition & fees
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $14,693651st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $6,152216th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $13,004448th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $20,911422nd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $24,8721,222nd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $44,2361,398th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,3581,455th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 26.3%1,834th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 66.7%1,386th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 3,080683rd largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 6.0:194th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 42.8%593rd highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 7 mi (DCA)
On 3 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- RDJul 28
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 42 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bioethics/Medical EthicsHealth Professions | bachelors | $82,440 | $80,336 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $48,600 | $42,682 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $48,041 | $30,409 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $47,260 | $52,289 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $45,529 | $43,575 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesFamily & Consumer Sciences | bachelors | $43,000 | $33,993 |
| Political Science and GovernmentSocial Sciences | bachelors | $39,369 | $42,682 |
| Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate)Legal Professions | bachelors | $38,721 | $39,927 |
| Social WorkPublic Administration | bachelors | $35,600 | $35,060 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | $30,771 | — |
| Fine and Studio ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $24,035 | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- A Historically Black College or University (HBCU)source
- Founded in 1851source
- Athletic nickname: "Firebirds"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: Red and Goldsource
- Mascot: Felix the Firebirdsource
- Motto: ""Aspire, Accomplish, Take on the World""source
- Campus size: about 23 acressource
- Formerly known as "{{collapsible list"source
- Formerly known as "| titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;padding-left:0.5em;font-size:100%;"source
- Formerly known as "| liststyle = text-align:left;white-space:nowrap;"source
- Formerly known as "| title = |Normal School for Colored Girls (1851–1879)|Miner Normal School (1879–1929)|Miner Teachers College (1929–1955)|Washington Normal School (1873–1913)|>Wilson Normal School (1913–1929)|Wilson Teachers College (1929–1955)|District of Columbia Teachers College (1955–1977)|Federal City College (1966–1977)|Washington Technical Institute (1966–1977)|Antioch School of Law (1972–1986)|District of Columbia School of Law (1987–1996)}}"source
- Athletic conference: ECCsource
Athletics — 7 sports
NCAA Division II without football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,882,062 (M $967,401 · W $914,661)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to University of the District of Columbia’s 3,080 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In DC
- The Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC · 3,063 undergrads
- Trinity Washington UniversityWashington, DC · 1,415 undergrads
- Gallaudet UniversityWashington, DC · 879 undergrads
- Strayer University-District of ColumbiaWashington, DC · 309 undergrads
- University of the Potomac-Washington DC CampusWashington, DC · 266 undergrads
- Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · 7,462 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Anderson UniversityAnderson, SC · 3,080 undergrads
- Indiana University-SoutheastNew Albany, IN · 3,088 undergrads
- Fort Lewis CollegeDurango, CO · 3,070 undergrads
- CUNY Graduate School and University CenterNew York, NY · 3,067 undergrads
- Endicott CollegeBeverly, MA · 3,101 undergrads
- Missouri Southern State UniversityJoplin, MO · 3,101 undergrads
Key links
- Official websiteudc.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 131399)
- Compare colleges in DCRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in District of ColumbiaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with The Catholic University of AmericaSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: University of the District of Columbia vs The Catholic University of AmericaHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 7 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.