Back to School campaign needs you

By Lauren Ivey

This is the best time of year at Howard! Our Bison have returned home to The Mecca, and we are proud to kick off a new academic year. Our freshman class of 2,745 students have arrived from 47 states and 34 countries ready to start their Howard journey.

As our students navigate changes in federal education policy, they are counting on us more than ever! Did you know that more than 70% of Howard students demonstrate high financial need and more than 40% are Pell-grant eligible? And one of every three members of our freshman class are the first in their family to go to college.

The Back to School campaign lets you invest in their future by ensuring that they get a good academic start now. You can give with confidence because Howard is widely recognized as one of the best universities in the world. Howard is one of only 187 universities with a top Carnegie-designated research institution — and the only HBCU. We were named the top HBCU in the nation by Forbes America’s Top Colleges 2024–2025 and one of the best colleges in the country by Princeton Review. And LinkedIn recently named Howard as the #1 HBCU based on alumni career success.

We can all be proud of these achievements. Howard’s continued excellence is made possible by the remarkable generosity of our amazing Bison family. Generations of Howard alumni pay it forward to invest in today’s students. Thousands of family members and friends step up to support academics, arts, athletics and the student experience.

This year, your support is urgently needed to expand scholarship support for our students as grants decline. Make your gift today to continue the strong start to the year: Howard University Back to School 2025