WASHINGTON—Yesterday, the American Council of Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced Howard University as one of the nation’s top “Opportunity Colleges and Universities – High Access and High Earnings.” Howard was recognized as a model college in providing access to high-quality education for students regardless of their socioeconomic or cultural background and preparing those students to earn relatively high wages in the context of their geographic locations. The “Opportunity College” classification is ACE and Carnegie’s highest designation for colleges and universities that facilitate social and economic mobility.

Among opportunity colleges and universities with a Research One (R1) designation, the nation’s highest Carnegie Classification for research spending and doctorate production, Howard has the highest “access” ratio, based on “enrollment of Pell Grant recipients and students from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups compared to a similar population in their area.” Among historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Howard graduates have the highest median earnings eight years after graduation.  

“This designation by ACE and Carnegie underscores Howard’s legacy of academic excellence and success in preparing generations of students for careers that lead to higher economic mobility and also allows them to contribute to meaningful change across all sectors of our society,” said Ben Vinson III, Ph.D, Howard University president. “It’s also a testament to the accomplishments of our dedicated faculty and staff, and the drive and brilliance of our high-achieving students, who continue to elevate Howard’s local, national, and global impact.”

Yesterday’s classification announcement follows Howard’s designation earlier this year as the only historically Black college or university among Research One (R1) institutions.

"As a top research institution, Howard is a place where students have the opportunity to lead efforts to redefine research and reimagine innovation to help solve real-world problems; thereby increasing the demand for their talent in the workforce marketplace," said Bruce Jones, Ph.D., Howard University senior vice president for research.

ACE and Carnegie used publicly available information to categorize every degree-granting American college or university. It also used median undergraduate post-attendance earnings for graduates of each institution as reported by the College Scorecard and compared them with earnings of peers ages 22-30 who hold a high school diploma or higher. Geographic and cultural impacts on earnings were also considered.
 
Yesterday’s designation follows other recent recognition noting Howard’s ability to produce high-achieving graduates. U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges ranking lists Howard as #12 in the nation for social mobility, the only university in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with a social mobility ranking in the top 40. Last week, U.S. News ranked Howard University School of Law as #13 in the nation in the “Law Schools with the Most Graduates at Big Law Firms” category. The publication also ranked Howard as the No. 1 HBCU for undergraduate programs in business, computer science, economics, engineering, and psychology. Last fall, Forbes ranked Howard as the top HBCU in the nation.

More information about Howard University can be found at howard.edu.

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