Howard Community College
Columbia, Maryland · Also known as HCC|Howard County Community College|Howrad Community College|HCCC|Howard County College|Columbia Community College|Howard College · Website
$49,020
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$49,020
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Howard Community College is a public 2-year college in Columbia, Maryland with 6,649 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $11,133 a year (tuition and fees $4,080 in-state, $9,624 out-of-state). 24% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $49,020 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $10,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$11,133
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$4,080
Out-of-state $9,624
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
24%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$10,500
About $111 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$49,020
Rank 1,557 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $11,133
- Tuition in-state
- $4,080
- Tuition out-of-state
- $9,624
- Cost of attendance
- $16,774
- Students with a need-based grant
- 27%
- Students with federal loans
- 7.4%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,714
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,924
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,198
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $14,104
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $15,881
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $3,698 in 2015-16 to $4,080 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 6,649
- Part-time students
- 69%
- Women
- 58%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 24%
- Retention rate
- 69%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 65
- Endowment
- $14.1M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,557 of 5,094 US colleges and 26 of 66 in Maryland (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MD median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $11,133 | $17,413 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $4,080 | $10,410 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 24% | 47% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 69% | 69% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $10,500 | $13,000 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,195 | $36,662 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $49,020 | $44,910 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 36% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 62% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
65 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 665 | $9,500 | $22,042 | $47,008 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 151 | $17,434 | $71,307 | $93,166 | $80,813 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 62 | Withheld | Withheld | $52,569 | $49,927 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | $62,399 | $56,556 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 46 | $19,200 | $72,633 | $73,439 | $65,389 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | $80,840 | $54,246 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 21 | $11,994 | $58,704 | Withheld | $56,073 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,605 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssociate's | Associate's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,656 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,584 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | $75,822 | $61,982 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,269 |
| Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,162 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $30,572 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,589 |
| Education, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,787 |
| Engineering, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $72,916 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,359 |
| Public HealthAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,759 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,184 |
| Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and InspectionAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,378 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsCertificate | Certificate | 5 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $73,046 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Columbia and Maryland on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Maryland
- Homes: Homes for sale in Maryland
Questions and answers
How much does Howard Community College cost?
$11,133 a year is the average net price at Howard Community College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $4,080 for in-state students and $9,624 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $16,774. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,714 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Howard Community College?
Howard Community College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Howard Community College graduates earn?
$49,020 a year is the median pay of former Howard Community College students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,195 after 6 years). That ranks 1,557 of 5,094 US colleges and 26 of 66 in Maryland. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's) at $72,633.
How much student debt do Howard Community College graduates have?
$10,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Howard Community College graduates, about $111 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 7.4% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Howard Community College?
24% of first-time, full-time students at Howard Community College finish within 3 years. 69% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Howard Community College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (665 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (151 associate's graduates), Business/Commerce, General (62 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 65 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.