ABA 509 Profile · Private · Washington, DC
Howard University School of Law: admission requirements and 509 data
A median LSAT of 156 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.63 describe the class that entered in 2025. 2,428 people applied, 584 were admitted and 172 enrolled. Every figure below is taken from this school's ABA Standard 509 Information Report, the disclosure the ABA requires each approved law school to publish for applicants.
Median LSAT
156
p25 153 to p75 160
Median UGPA
3.63
p25 3.40 to p75 3.80
Acceptance Rate
24.1%
584 offers of 2,428 applications
First-Year Class
176
all full time
Full-Time Tuition
$39,780
plus $1,632 fees
Living Estimate
$38,251
school's own figure, single student off campus
Median Grant
$23,657
48% of students hold one
First-Time Bar Pass
76.8%
jurisdiction average 82.2%
How the acceptance rate is worked out
584 offers of admission ÷ 2,428 completed applications = 24.1%
We divide offers by completed applications rather than reprinting a rate. The 509 report states 24.05%, which agrees with the division above. The rate counts every completed application, including applicants who never became competitive, so it is a measure of volume as much as of standards.
What the 2025 numbers say about Howard University
Howard University received 2,428 completed applications for the 2025 entering class and made 584 offers of admission, an acceptance rate of 24.1%. 172 of those admitted enrolled, a yield of 29.5%. The full first-year class came to 176 students, all full time. Total JD enrollment across all years is 555.
Enrolled students posted a median LSAT of 156, with a 25th percentile of 153 and a 75th of 160. That is 3 points below the 159 median across the 196 ABA-approved schools in this data. It ranks 122 of 196 on LSAT median. Undergraduate GPA ran 3.40 at the 25th percentile, 3.63 at the median and 3.80 at the 75th.
Full-time tuition is $39,780 a year at a single rate for residents and non-residents. Mandatory fees add $1,632. The school's own living-expense estimate for a single student off campus is $38,251. Tuition, fees and that living estimate add up to $79,663 for one year, or $238,989 across three, before any grant. 261 JD students hold a grant or scholarship, 48% of the student body, and the median full-time award is $23,657. 27 awards cover full tuition or more. The school reports conditional scholarships: 261 entering students held one and 0 had it reduced or eliminated.
Of the graduating class that sat a bar exam for the first time, 119 of 155 passed, a rate of 76.77%. The weighted average across the jurisdictions where those graduates sat was 82.24%, so the school ran 5.47 points behind the jurisdictions it feeds. Ten months after graduation, 115 of 155 graduates (74.2%) held a job requiring bar admission. 58 joined law firms of 251 lawyers or more (37.4% of the class), of whom 47 went to firms of 501 or more. 3 took federal clerkships. The largest single destination was District Of Columbia with 43 graduates, followed by New York with 29.
Howard University has been approved by the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education since 1931. It is a private school based in Washington, DC. 5 first-year students left for academic reasons, 2.0% of the class.
The full 509 record
Admitted class profile, 2025 entering class
| Completed applications | 2,428 |
|---|---|
| Offers of admission | 584 |
| Matriculants from the applicant pool | 172 |
| Yield (matriculants per offer) | 29.5% |
| LSAT 75th percentile | 160 |
| LSAT 50th percentile | 156 |
| LSAT 25th percentile | 153 |
| UGPA 75th percentile | 3.80 |
| UGPA 50th percentile | 3.63 |
| UGPA 25th percentile | 3.40 |
| Students admitted on an LSAT score | 176 |
| Students admitted on a GRE score | 0 |
Program, faculty and calendar
| Total JD enrollment | 555 |
|---|---|
| JD degrees awarded | 155 |
| Academic term | Semesters |
| Full-time faculty | 40 |
| Faculty other than full time | 64 |
| Course titles beyond the first year | 169 |
| Law clinic seats filled246 available | 147 |
| Field placements filled | 136 |
| Application deadline | March 1, 2026 |
| Application fee | $60 |
Tuition, fees and living costs, 2025 to 2026
| Full-time tuition, resident | $39,780 |
|---|---|
| Full-time annual fees, resident | $1,632 |
| Full-time tuition, non-resident | $39,780 |
| Full-time annual fees, non-resident | $1,632 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, resident | $41,412 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, non-resident | $41,412 |
| Living expenses, on campus | $38,251 |
| Living expenses, off campus | $38,251 |
| Living expenses, at home | $38,251 |
| Tuition, fees and living, one yearthe three published figures added together | $79,663 |
| The same three figures over three yearsbefore any grant or scholarship | $238,989 |
| Tuition guarantee program | No |
Grants and scholarships
| JD students receiving a grantof 539 students | 261 |
|---|---|
| Share receiving a grant | 48% |
| Awards below half tuition | 99 |
| Awards from half to full tuition | 135 |
| Awards at full tuition | 25 |
| Awards above full tuition | 2 |
| Full-time grant, 75th percentile | $32,364 |
| Full-time grant, 50th percentile | $23,657 |
| Full-time grant, 25th percentile | $10,037 |
| Conditional scholarships offered | Yes |
Attrition, transfers and outcomes
| First-year academic attrition2.0% of the first-year class | 5 |
|---|---|
| First-year other attrition | 0 |
| Students transferring in | 0 |
| First-year students transferring out | 3 |
| First-time bar takers | 155 |
| First-time bar passers | 119 |
| Gap to the jurisdiction average | -5.47 points |
| Graduates in a job requiring bar admission74.2% of 155 graduates | 115 |
| Graduates at firms of 251 or more lawyers37.4% of graduates | 58 |
| Graduates at firms of 501 or more lawyers | 47 |
| Graduates in federal clerkships | 3 |
| Graduates seeking work at the reporting date | 30 |
As listed on the 509 report
2900 Van Ness St., NW
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 806-8000
Council approved since 1931
District of Columbia has 6 ABA-approved law schools. The District of Columbia guide compares them on LSAT median, cost and bar passage, and covers the state's admission rules.
Howard University 509 report: common questions
Where can I find Howard University's ABA 509 report?
›
Every ABA-approved law school files a Standard 509 Information Report each year, and the ABA publishes them at https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/. This page restates Howard University School of Law's 2025 report, covering the class that entered in 2025: LSAT and GPA percentiles, applications and offers, first-year class size, tuition, grants, bar passage and employment. The figures come from the school's own filing, not from a ranking or a survey.
What LSAT score do you need for Howard University?
›
Howard University School of Law reported a median LSAT of 156 for the class that entered in 2025. The middle 50 percent ran from 153 at the 25th percentile to 160 at the 75th. A score at or above 156 puts you at or above the median half of the class; below 153 you are in the quarter of admitted students who needed something else in the file to carry the application. Law schools do not publish a minimum LSAT, and these percentiles describe enrolled students rather than a cutoff.
What GPA do you need for Howard University?
›
Howard University School of Law reported a median undergraduate GPA of 3.63 for the 2025 entering class, with a 25th percentile of 3.40 and a 75th of 3.80. These are LSAC Credential Assembly Service GPAs, which are recalculated from every undergraduate transcript and can differ from the GPA on your degree certificate.
What is Howard University's acceptance rate?
›
584 of 2,428 applicants were offered admission for the 2025 entering class, an acceptance rate of 24.1%. That figure is offers divided by completed applications, both as filed in the 509 report. Of those admitted, 172 enrolled.
How much does Howard University cost?
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Howard University School of Law filed full-time tuition of $39,780 for the year in its 2025 509 report. The median grant among students receiving one was $23,657, so the published price is not what most students pay. Living costs are reported separately and are not included in these figures.
What is Howard University's bar passage rate?
›
76.8% of Howard University School of Law graduates passed the bar on their first attempt, as reported in the ABA's first-time bar passage outcomes for 2024 graduates. Bar passage is reported a year behind the admissions figures on this page because it tracks a graduating class rather than an entering one.
Closest on the numbers
Schools with the nearest LSAT median to Howard University
Samford University Cumberland
156 LSAT, 3.63 GPA, 49.0% accept
University of Missouri - Kansas City
156 LSAT, 3.65 GPA, 45.9% accept
University of Wyoming
156 LSAT, 3.55 GPA, 35.8% accept
Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana
156 LSAT, 3.64 GPA, 51.4% accept
Drake University
156 LSAT, 3.67 GPA, 54.8% accept
Data: ABA Standard 509 Information Report (2025), published for consumer disclosure, retrieved from the ABA Required Disclosures portal on 2026-09-01. Bar passage and employment figures come from the same portal's Bar Passage Outcomes and Employment Summary reports for the class of 2024. Figures describe the 2025 to 2026 reporting cycle for Howard University School of Law and are restated in our own structure; no ABA document or file is reproduced here. Verify anything decision-critical with the school.
Related reading: LSAT score guide, GPA benchmarks, law school cost and ROI, application timeline, all 196 ABA-approved schools, and the Yale profile for the top of the range.