I have seen many people who aren’t happy with their scholarship, and are hesitant about attending Howard.
If you got over $10 000 scholarship, however, and if Howard is your dream school, you should come to Howard. Why? Here are some of my reasons.
It costs about $38 000 a year for tuition, Room and Meal. (Room and meal together costs about $13 000) If you received about $13 000 as a scholarship, you have about $25 000 to pay every year.
After you stay for one year in the dorm, however, you can apply for Residential Assistance, and the chance is very high. If you become RA, you get free room and meal plan which is pretty sweet deal. Now you only have to pay $12 000 a year.
The rest can be paid if you work as you attend Howard University. If you just work 20 hours a week, you can earn about $900~1000 every month. And that would be enough to pay the rest of your tuition. (*International students can work up to 20 hours a week, while US citizens can work for more hours.)
As long as you stay focused in classes it would not detriment your studies too much.
For example, you can schedule classes from Monday to Thursday, and work only on weekends.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
P.S: This is only if Howard University is your dream school and you want to attend it at any costs.
Assuming 20 hours/wk, 4 wks/mo, you would need a hourly salary of $11.25 to make $900 before taxes. What kinds of jobs are you looking at?
Just any regualar jobs. I am Howard student graduating this year, and I have friends working at Financial Aids office, Black Burn cafetaria, punch-out, and many other places.
The minimum hourly pay I saw was $10, and the maximum was $15 per hour. There are seriously a lot of job opportunities at Howard University, and competition to become RA is not too high as well.
I personally love Howard University so much. It is an amazing school with great diversity. Come to Howard, you will love your life here 
P.S: I gave up Ivy leagues and top tier schools such as U. Chicago to come to Howard. And I am loving it!
Working 20 hours a week while also being an RA and trying to keep a competitive GPA for graduate school or post college employment is a tall order, especially if you want to be active in college organizations, do internships and have a full college experience.
I do agree however that seeking an RA position is a very good plan and that there are jobs to be had in and around campus. My oldest (not at hu) also works substantial hours in the summer to defray his school year costs. My second oldest is at HU and like @GoHoward, loves it. She is on scholarship and works hard to maintain it. Kids at Howard hustle to get what they want and need.
It’s definitely not an easy task. One has to devote time for being an RA and part-time worker while keeping competitive GPA for future. That’s why I said “only if Howard University is your dream school and you want to attend it at any costs.” If you have better option at other good schools, you should definitely go there!!
Thank you, @ReturningFavor , for pointing that out. It’s definitely not an easy task, and if one is thinking about doing that, he needs to be mentally well prepared for this. Also, he needs to think of alternative plans as there is always possibility of not getting elected as a RA. But if you have a dream, there is always a way.
@GoHoward I was offered a little over $10,000 and I have about $4,000 in small scholarships. Tuition went up to $42,150. Ultimately, I would have to pay about $28,000. I’ve never been in college, so idk how I feel about even that amount. I have a job in HUH, but idk how long that will last. I just… Idk.
@PreDent101 You really might want to rethink all of this, even here at the 11th hour. You could end up being 100+k in debt for your undergraduate experience if you get no additional scholarships. You also need to be SURE that scholarships HU gives will not be reduced by your outside scholarships, as sometimes colleges will reduce their $ given in scholarship based on outside scholarships you receive.
Have your parents already co-signed and received the dollars you need to borrow? You as a student cannot barrow that much money without a cosigner. Check the Financial Aid thread on this thread and perhaps ask about options to get the money you need. I think you will find that most will direct you to not borrow that much, but perhaps suggestions for funding can be found. My D said there are not a lot of scholarships internally for HU students as we stated before. Those that are available are highly competitive and don’t amount to a ton per distribution.
If you are working at HUH then you live locally? Perhaps you can live at home and save money that way (I think freshman generally must live on campus but there may be exceptions).
The immediate issue is this: Can you pay the tuition that is due for fall, 2016?
Yes, I can afford this upcoming semester, after that is what I’m worried about. I’ll be doing work study and working on weekends. I’m not sure if that’s enough. My step dad says I’ll be fine and that I need to stop worrying about my financial need and by the time I’m done with my studies, my loans could be paid monthly, even if I pay the minimum. Also, dentists have high earning potential and there are other ways to pay off debt. They have already signed for my loans. @ReturningFavor
Is Residential Assistance only available for US citizens or can international students apply for it too? I cant seem to find information about it on google so I was hoping I could find some answers here. Thanks in advance everyone
@JustinPon I believe the correct term is Resident Assistant (RA) and you can find more information here: http://www.howard.edu/residencelife/ResidenceLifeStudentEmployment.htm
I have seen many people who aren’t happy with their scholarship, and are hesitant about attending Howard.
If you got over $10 000 scholarship, however, and if Howard is your dream school, you should come to Howard. Why? Here are some of my reasons.
It costs about $38 000 a year for tuition, Room and Meal. (Room and meal together costs about $13 000) If you received about $13 000 as a scholarship, you have about $25 000 to pay every year.
After you stay for one year in the dorm, however, you can apply for Residential Assistance, and the chance is very high. If you become RA, you get free room and meal plan which is pretty sweet deal. Now you only have to pay $12 000 a year.
The rest can be paid if you work as you attend Howard University. If you just work 20 hours a week, you can earn about $900~1000 every month. And that would be enough to pay the rest of your tuition. (*International students can work up to 20 hours a week, while US citizens can work for more hours.)
As long as you stay focused in classes it would not detriment your studies too much.
For example, you can schedule classes from Monday to Thursday, and work only on weekends.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
P.S: This is only if Howard University is your dream school and you want to attend it at any costs.
^^^ I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone ever. Absolutely not.
@MezzoForte I thought the RA was a program? But it seems that RA is just like a part-time job which means doing it would not make it possible to do another 20hrs per week job? Also, can u pls tell me why u would not recommend it?
Just to be clear, I recommend pursuing the RA position. I do not recommend becoming an RA and working another job part time as well.
Oh I see what u mean @MezzoForte. Thanks for clearing it up. But the ‘RA’ position still is a kind of part-time job right? So technically we’ll just be working 2 part-time jobs? Or am I heading towards the wrong understanding lol
Yes, the RA position is a part time job.
I know this is little too late, but for future HU students, let me give you my thoughts on this.
This tip really depends on what kind of students you are. It could work if you can stay focused in classes while working part time as a Residential Assistant.
Although it depends on what major you are, most science classes at Howard University is not too hard. I have taken 27 credits a semester, 21 at Howard University and 6 credit online at CC, and obtain 4.0 GPA… and I still had plenty of time to play games and entertain myself. Yes, I am an Asian and I understand it could be different for others…
Taking as little as 15~18 credits while working as a Residential Assistant is, really… not as demanding as one thinks. If you think you can stay focused in studies while working, do it. If you don’t think you can do that, don’t risk your GPA.
P.S: If you are an engineering major, ignore this post. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to take that many engineering classes while working full time. Engineering classes are CRAZY!.
2nd P.S: @JustinPon Yes, International students can apply for Residential Assistant position.
The RA application on the website states that you cannot have another job while serving as RA.
I’m adding my input. Howard ended up giving me a full ride during the summer (after the May 1st deadline). I ended up not going as I had already paid for my semester at my current college, but to those who aren’t happy with their scholarships, their administration will make mistakes and sometimes it works in your favor!
Hey anyone here ever got a Donor Scholarship from Howard