University of
the District of Columbia
Public College in Washington, DC. Six-year graduation rate 44%. Median 10-year earnings $44,236.
Ten years after entry, the median University of the District of Columbia student earns $44,236 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 44% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $24,872, neither a bargain nor a burden. On economic mobility, 3.8% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 44%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. 68% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. 18% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. The part-time picture is harder: 39% return, against 68% full-time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,080 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $12,895 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $10,268 at the $0–30k band to $20,245 at $110k+. 99% of students get grant aid averaging $4,974, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 20% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 226 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,268 |
| $30–48k | $10,399 |
| $48–75k | $10,557 |
| $75–110k | $16,312 |
| $110k+ | $20,245 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 626 of these 3,080 students, totalling $4,316,157 — an average of $6,895 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (District of Columbia) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)