How much debt do Howard University criminal justice graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 criminal justice bachelor's programs in District of Columbia. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminal justice degree from Howard University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 94% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other District of Columbia programs before deciding.

Howard University Criminal Justice (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Private nonprofit university
Washington, DC
About 52 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Howard University criminal justice graduates earn less than graduates of most criminal justice programs nationally, $27,801 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several District of Columbia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,8014th percentile of 557 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$63,116127% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0003rd lowest of 5 District of Columbia programs

Debt-to-earnings94%District of Columbia median 71%, national 67%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The District of Columbia and national columns are the medians across all criminal justice bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Howard University	District of Columbia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,801	$43,405	$37,641
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$63,116	$61,582	$53,142
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$26,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	94%	71%	67%
Programs compared		5	557

Five years out, Howard University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the District of Columbia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every District of Columbia criminal justice program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the District of Columbia medians.

Howard UniversityOther District of Columbia programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 127% between the first and fifth year.

Howard University grads, year 1$27,801

Howard University grads, year 5$63,116

All District of Columbia criminal justice grads, year 5$61,582

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 11.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

20 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $82,490.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $27,801 salary here buys what about $25,533 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to criminal justice, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Security Guards

$64,210

Median pay in District of Columbia. 15,880 people work in this job in District of Columbia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 156,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $36,600Top 10%: $78,910

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$88,650

Median pay in District of Columbia. 4,720 people work in this job in District of Columbia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 51,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $66,420Top 10%: $119,660

Compliance Officers

$111,030

Median pay in District of Columbia. 4,380 people work in this job in District of Columbia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $69,140Top 10%: $156,750

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$73,550

Median pay in District of Columbia. 2,430 people work in this job in District of Columbia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $53,020Top 10%: $113,440

About Howard University

Tuition and fees	$35,810 / year
Average net price after aid	$50,539 / year
Admission rate	41%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	10,108

Criminal Justice ranks 11th of 14 bachelor's programs at Howard University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Systems Analysis ($92,324), Finance ($81,074), and Nursing ($79,646).

Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near Washington

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Howard UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit		$27,801	$26,000
Trinity Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$47,385	$33,564
Strayer University-District of ColumbiaWashington, DC · private for-profit	1 mi	$43,405	$56,937
George Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	2 mi	$51,256	$20,500
American UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	4 mi	$37,147	$23,250
Marymount UniversityArlington, VA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$35,642	$25,000
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	9 mi	$55,479	$25,062
Bowie StateBowie, MD · public	15 mi	$41,367	$29,750
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	17 mi	$43,612	$20,761

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,801 one year after graduating and $63,116 five years after. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in District of Columbia is $43,405.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of District of Columbia comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the criminal justice program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in District of Columbia, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in the US, ranked557 programs by pay and debt All Howard University programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt