Quad

Head-to-head

Howard
UNC

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    UNC's yield is 30 pts higher than Howard's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    UNC's SAT midpoint is 295 points higher than Howard's

    SAT midpoint
  3. 3

    UNC is more diverse (index 0.67 vs. 0.40)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    UNC graduates 27 pts more of its students than Howard (91% vs. 64%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Howard has 20 pts more Pell recipients than UNC (40% vs. 20%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Howard's grants cover 38% of its full price on average, vs. 21% at UNC

    Aid generosity

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

UNC admits 15%, Howard 42%; UNC's yield is higher, at 45%.

Acceptance rate
Howard42%
UNC15%
Quad's selectivity
  • HowardSelective
  • UNCHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Howard
1050–1270
UNC
1390–1530
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • HowardRigor, GPA, and tests very important50%
  • UNCRigor and GPA very importantweighted GPAs

Who's on each campus

UNC has 2.1× as many undergrads as Howard; Howard has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Howard10.1K
UNC20.8K
Pell Grant share
Howard40%
UNC20%

Majors and faculty

Biology/Biological Sciences leads at both; Howard has 13 students per faculty member to UNC's 15.

Students per faculty member
Howard13 to 1
UNC15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • HowardBiology/Biological Sciences, General10%
  • UNCBiology/Biological Sciences, General11%

What each costs

UNC costs about $7.9K less a year than Howard on average; Howard's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Howard$33.6K
UNC$25.7K
Aid generosity
Howard38%
UNC21%

What each pays off

UNC's former students earn more, a median $72.2K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 91% at UNC to 64% at Howard.

Median earnings, 10 years
Howard$63.1K
UNC$72.2K
Graduation rate
Howard64%
UNC91%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • HowardGrowing+149%
  • UNCGrowing+112%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Howard University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Howard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Howard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why