Public · Community college

Howard Community College

Columbia, Maryland · Midsize city

#2 for grad earnings in Maryland
26%
Transfer rate
$11,133
Avg net price
24%
Grad / completion
$49,020
Median earnings

Howard Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Columbia, Maryland (midsize city setting), enrolling 6,649 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 6,649 undergradsMidsize cityNJCAA Division IICold wintersNear the coast

About Columbia, Maryland

Columbia is a planned community in Howard County, Maryland, United States, consisting of 10 self-contained villages. Columbia was founded in 1967 by James W. Rouse, a native of Easton, Maryland. In 1935, Rouse obtained a job in Baltimore with the Federal Housing Administration, a New Deal agency whose purpose was to promote home ownership and home construction. Merriweather Post Pavilion, a well-known outdoor concert venue, attracts many prominent performers. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
14 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) · major hub

How Howard Community College compares

Graduation rate24%

Higher than 7% · #34 of 38 in Maryland

First-year retention69%

Higher than 41%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,020

Higher than 89% · #2 of 38 in Maryland

Average net price$11,133

Cheaper than 66% · #15 cheapest of 40 in Maryland

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment6,649

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Howard Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Maryland.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

6,649undergrads
  • Women4,13462%
  • Men2,51538%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White22%
  • Black32%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian12%
  • Other or multiracial19%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,649
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
27%
Median family income
$25,404
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$80,631
Endowment
$14,145,624

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,080
Out-of-state tuition
$9,624
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,400
Total cost of attendance
$16,774
Average net price
$11,133

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
24%
First-year retention
69%
Transferred to another college
26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,195
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,020
Median debt at graduation
$10,500
Students with federal loans
7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
31%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
24%
Low-income (Pell)
11%
First-generation
12%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
224 (145 men · 79 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Lacrosse42
Soccer40
Basketball38
Track and Field (Outdoor)35
Other Sports32
Softball14
Cross Country12
Volleyball11

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (8,643 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,714
$30–48k
$9,924
$48–75k
$12,198
$75–110k
$14,104
$110k+
$15,881

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

34%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,664
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 34% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,664. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 637 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$49,020
Typical debt at graduation
$10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
21%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$46,806
Men
$56,030

Men out-earn women by $9,224 (20%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
89°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
47.5″
Annual snow
19.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Laurel 3 W, MD US station (9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Howard Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Howard Community College side by side →

Colleges near Howard Community College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.