Howard University Homecoming 2026

Founding History & Mission

Howard University was chartered by an Act of Congress on March 2, 1867, just two years after the end of the Civil War. It was founded by members of the First Congregational Society of Washington, D.C., with an original mission to train Black clergy — a mission that quickly expanded into a full university offering education in the liberal arts, medicine, and law. The school takes its name from General Oliver Otis Howard, a Union Army general and head of the Freedmen's Bureau, who helped secure its charter and served as the university's third president from 1869 to 1874. From its very first year, Howard's purpose was clear: build an institution where Black Americans, only recently emancipated, could pursue the highest levels of education and leadership.

Location & Campus

Howard's main campus sits on roughly 256 acres across Washington, D.C. and Maryland, anchored in the historic Shaw neighborhood of Northwest D.C. — once nicknamed "Black Broadway." The campus blends 19th-century academic halls with modern research and clinical facilities, all within walking distance of the U Street corridor's restaurants, music venues, and Black history landmarks. Sitting in the seat of federal government has shaped Howard's identity for a century and a half; students graduate a short walk from Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, and the federal agencies many of them go on to lead.

Enrollment & Student Body

Howard enrolls approximately 14,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, drawn from all 50 states, D.C., and more than 60 countries. That scale and reach is part of what earns Howard its nickname — "The Mecca" — a single campus where Black students from every background, region, and corner of the diaspora converge, making it as much a cultural capital as an academic one.

Top Majors & Academics

Howard operates 14 schools and colleges spanning more than 130 areas of study, including Arts & Sciences, Business, Communications, Engineering & Architecture, Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Social Work. It is the only HBCU with an R1 "very high research activity" Carnegie classification, placing it among the nation's most research-intensive universities of any kind. Its Communications program produces more Black bachelor's degree graduates in journalism and communications than any other university in the country, its Law School consistently ranks among the nation's best for graduates placed at leading firms, and its pre-med and Medicine pipeline is one of the most respected in Black medicine — tracing back to Howard's founding role training Black physicians when few other schools would.

Tuition & Financial Aid

For the 2025–2026 academic year, Howard's undergraduate tuition is $37,996, with total estimated cost of attendance — tuition, fees, housing, food, and other expenses — ranging from roughly $57,600 for students living at home to about $64,100 for those living on campus. As with most private universities, the sticker price rarely reflects what students actually pay: Howard and a deep bench of HBCU-focused scholarship programs award substantial need- and merit-based aid every year, so prospective students are encouraged to file the FAFSA early and explore both Howard-specific scholarships and national HBCU scholarship funds.

Spirit Identity

Howard's mascot is the Bison (Lady Bison for women's teams) — chosen for the animal's strength, resilience, and refusal to be pushed off its ground, qualities the university has long tied to its own history. Howard's official colors are indigo blue, red, and white, adopted by the Board of Trustees in 1894 as a direct nod to the American flag; the deep indigo blue in particular has remained the university's defining color for more than 130 years. Bison pride shows up everywhere on campus and at every away game — worn, chanted, and waved by a student body that takes its colors seriously.

Notable Alumni

Few universities anywhere can claim an alumni list like Howard's: Vice President Kamala Harris, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Nobel laureate and author Toni Morrison, journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates, actor Chadwick Boseman, actor Anthony Anderson, and Ambassador Andrew Young all walked the same Yard current students walk today. That list spans the Supreme Court, the vice presidency, Hollywood, and the Nobel committee — a living argument for exactly what Howard set out to do in 1867.

Traditions & Events

Homecoming is Howard's biggest week of the year, but it's far from the only tradition that defines campus life. Charter Day each March marks the university's founding. Yardfest turns the main quad into a concert and step-show stage. Howard's storied gospel choir tradition runs generations deep. And the campus's famous "Fit Check" fashion culture — an unofficial tradition of its own — turns every major event into a runway.

Student Life & Culture

Howard's campus culture is often described by students and alumni alike as equal parts family reunion, professional network, and creative incubator. Greek life carries deep history here — Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, and several other Divine Nine organizations were founded or built major early chapters at Howard — and student organizations span everything from pre-law societies to some of the most respected Black student journalism and film programs in the country. It is, in the words of generations of graduates, a place where Black excellence isn't the exception; it's simply the expectation.

Legacy & Impact

For 159 years, Howard has trained a disproportionate share of the country's Black doctors, lawyers, judges, engineers, and elected officials, and it played a direct role in the legal fight that ended segregation — Howard Law School faculty and alumni helped build the legal strategy behind Brown v. Board of Education. Today, with more than 120,000 degrees awarded, an R1 research designation, and graduates in the White House, the Supreme Court, and newsrooms and boardrooms worldwide, Howard's influence on Black America — and the country as a whole — is hard to overstate.

Homecoming 2026: Why You Should Come

This year's Homecoming carries extra weight. On October 17, 2026, Howard welcomes Morehouse College to William H. Greene Stadium as its Homecoming opponent for the first time in nearly 30 years — the last meeting was in 1997. The rivalry between the two schools dates back over a century, and with Spelman alumni expected to join the celebration too, this year is shaping up to be a "SpelHouse" reunion across the nation's capital: tailgates, marching bands, step shows, and thousands of alumni from three of the most storied HBCUs in the country, all in one city for one weekend. Add in the annual traditions that make Howard Homecoming legendary regardless of opponent — Yardfest performances, step and stroll competitions, gospel programming, the fashion show, and a campus-wide reunion energy that pulls generations of Bison back to The Mecca — and this is a Homecoming worth building a trip around, whether you're an alum, a Morehouse or Spelman grad, or simply an HBCU homecoming tourist chasing the culture.

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