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Howard University

Howard University is the most storied of the nation's historically Black colleges and universities — 'the Mecca,' as it's known — a private, federally chartered research university of about 9,800 undergraduates on a hilltop campus in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC. Founded in 1867 and now the only HBCU with the top R1 research classification, Howard combines big-university academics with a culture and history unlike anywhere else, its central quad, the Yard, and the clock tower of Founders Library among the most recognizable places in Black American life. For a first-year family, the defining facts are that housing is guaranteed for first- and second-year students, that the residence halls are woven with generations of tradition — the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle for women, Drew Hall for men — and that all of it sits in the middle of the nation's capital, a Metro stop from the monuments.

Move-inEarly August

BedsTwin XL

A/CProvided

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The one thing generic lists get wrong

What to wear in Washington, month by month

This corner of the country breaks every generic packing list. It is not about surviving cold — it is about staying dry through a long gray winter and a famously short, beautiful summer.

Move-in (early Aug)	70–89°F	Hot and genuinely humid Washington summer, the kind of sticky heat that makes move-in day sweaty work. The good news for Howard: the residence halls are air-conditioned, so the room is a refuge even when the walk across the Yard isn't.
Sept–Oct	52–80°F	The city's best stretch — warm days easing into crisp evenings, the campus in full swing, Opening Convocation in September and the legendary Homecoming in October. Bring layers for the range.
Nov–Dec	38–58°F	Cool and often gray, with the first real cold by December. A proper coat comes out, though DC winters are milder than the Northeast.
Jan–Feb	30–47°F	The coldest weeks — chilly and damp with a few snows a winter that the city rarely handles gracefully. Cold, but not brutal.
Mar–Apr	42–68°F	A beautiful DC spring: the cherry blossoms downtown, the Yard greening up, and warm afternoons returning after a raw early March.

Lean into the traditions — and know that Howard's first-year halls are air-conditioned, so a fan isn't the priority it is elsewhere. First-year housing here isn't anonymous: women live mostly in the historic Harriet Tubman Quadrangle, men in Drew Hall, each carrying generations of Howard culture, with the co-ed Cook and College Halls rounding it out. Housing is guaranteed for first- and second-years, and a meal plan is required both years. The shopping list is DC-specific: a compact fridge (large ones are banned), Twin XL bedding, a shower caddy for communal-bath halls, and a SmarTrip card, because the Shaw-Howard University Metro at the campus edge means no car and easy access to the whole city. Handle the health-clearance paperwork early — DC requires it before move-in.

Straight from the housing office

What Howard University lets you bring

✓ Bring it

A compact refrigerator (skip the full-size one — large fridges are prohibited)
Twin XL bedding, and a shower caddy and flip-flops for halls with communal bathrooms like the Quad and Drew
A rain jacket and layers for a humid DC fall — the air conditioning handles the late-summer heat indoors
A SmarTrip card and a Metro plan: the Shaw-Howard University station is at the campus edge and students live on the train
A fan is optional here — unlike many schools, Howard's first-year halls are air-conditioned
Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics

✕ Leave it home

Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
Halogen lamps
Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks
Large refrigerators (a compact one is fine)
Hot plates, electric fryers, small ovens, and other in-room cooking appliances
Weapons of any kind — including pocket and sheathed knives, BB/air/pellet guns, tasers, and stun guns
Candles, incense, and other open-flame items

These come from Howard University's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.

Before you can move in

Getting your room at Howard University

01
Spring
Apply for housing and clear the health requirements
Housing is guaranteed for first-year (and second-year) students, but you still submit the housing application, and — importantly in DC — complete the medical/immunization clearance through student health before you're allowed to move in. Do the health paperwork early; it's the step that most often holds families up on move-in day.
02
Summer
Buy a compact fridge and Twin XL bedding — skip the rest
Keep the list short and legal: a compact refrigerator (large ones are prohibited), Twin XL sheets, and a shower caddy for the communal-bath halls. Leave the hot plate, air fryer, and small oven at home — all banned — and plan for the required meal plan. Because the halls are air-conditioned, a fan is optional here.
03
Before you arrive
Get your Bison OneCard and set up your accounts
Pick up your Bison OneCard at the Howard iLab and activate your Bison email and campus WiFi before move-in — email access can take up to 72 hours after fees are resolved, so don't leave it to the last day. These are the credentials you'll need for everything from the dining hall to the residence-hall door.
04
Early–mid August
Move in by last name, then Bison Week
New students move in on the date and time matched to their last name in early August; three guests may help, and family parking ends at 6 p.m. each day. Bison Week — orientation, advising, and registration for all new undergraduates — runs August 10–14, 2026, and fall classes begin Monday, August 17.

The actual buildings

Where you'll live at Howard University

Where first-years live

Howard guarantees housing for first- and second-year students, and first-year life centers on a few storied halls. First-year women live primarily in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle — 'the Quad' — five interconnected halls around a courtyard with a deep culture of sisterhood; first-year men live in Drew Hall, Howard's historic first male dormitory, known for its brotherhood; and the gender-neutral Cook Hall and College Halls round out first-year housing with newer, apartment-style rooms. All are air-conditioned, a real comfort in humid DC, and rooms are furnished with a Twin XL bed, desk, dresser, and closet. Every first- and second-year resident carries a required meal plan. Which hall a student lands in genuinely becomes part of their Howard identity.

Harriet Tubman Quadrangle (the Quad)First-year women · five halls · historic

The university's primary residence for first-year women, five halls — Baldwin, Crandall, Frazier, Truth, and Wheatley — forming a square around a central courtyard, renovated from 2018 onward. Singles and doubles with communal bathrooms, air conditioning, a fitness center, study and lounge spaces, a salon, and a 24-hour front desk. Its culture of sisterhood is one of Howard's oldest traditions.

Drew HallFirst-year men · historic brotherhood

Howard's first male residence hall and a first-year men's institution, offering doubles and singles with communal and in-room bathrooms. Air-conditioned, with study rooms, a computer lab, a game room, and lounges — and best known for the tight brotherhood culture that forms among the men who live there.

Cook HallFirst & second year · gender-neutral · suites

A gender-neutral hall for first- and second-year students, with doubles, singles, and suites and a mix of in-room and in-suite bathrooms. A newer, more private option than the historic Quad and Drew for students who want it.

College Hall North & SouthNewer · in-room bathrooms

The updated College Halls: North is a first-year women's hall of doubles with private in-room bathrooms, and South is gender-neutral for first- and second-years. The apartment-style, no-communal-bathroom choice among first-year housing.

The stuff nobody puts in one place

Washington logistics, sorted

How to send a package to a Howard student

[Student Name]
[Residence Hall & Room #]
Howard University
Washington, DC 20059

Each residence hall has a front desk that receives and holds packages, and students are notified when something arrives. Label everything with the student's name, hall, and room number, and confirm the specific hall's mailing address after room assignments post — several halls have their own street addresses on or just off the main campus.

'The Mecca' — the halls carry the history

Howard's nickname, 'the Mecca,' captures what makes it different: it's the intellectual and cultural heart of Black America, from the Yard and the clock tower of Founders Library to a century and a half of graduates who shaped the country. That history lives in the residence halls, too — the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle's sisterhood and Drew Hall's brotherhood aren't marketing, they're traditions students carry for life. It's why, at Howard more than most places, 'which hall' is a meaningful part of the story a student tells about their first year.

A campus in the capital, one Metro stop from everything

Howard sits in the middle of Washington, DC, with the Shaw-Howard University Metro station (Green and Yellow lines) right at the campus edge — so a first-year needs a SmarTrip card, not a car, and has the Smithsonian museums, the monuments, and the whole city a short ride away. Two practical notes that come with the city: DC summers are hot and humid, which is why it matters that Howard's halls are air-conditioned, and the District requires medical clearance before students can move in.

Beyond the campus gates

Washington & around

Right there

Shaw, U Street & Georgia Avenue

The Shaw-Howard University Metro is at the campus edge, and around it is one of the most storied Black neighborhoods in America — U Street's 'Black Broadway,' the Howard Theatre, Ben's Chili Bowl, and the shops and food of Georgia Avenue.

Nearby

LeDroit Park & downtown

The leafy historic LeDroit Park neighborhood borders campus, and downtown DC — offices, theaters, and the convention center — is a short Metro ride or walk south.

Worth it

The National Mall & the museums

The Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, plus the monuments and the Capitol, all a quick Green Line ride away — an extraordinary backyard for any student.

Getting around

Reagan National, Union Station & the airports

Reagan National (DCA) is about 20 minutes by Metro, Union Station handles Amtrak and buses, and Dulles and BWI serve the wider region — break travel from a capital city is about as easy as it gets.

For move-in, family weekend & graduation

Where to stay near Howard University

Closest

Cambria Hotel Washington DC Convention Center

~0.5 mi

About a half mile from campus and walkable — the closest hotel to Howard and a convenient base for move-in or a visit.

Nearby

Shaw & Convention Center hotels

~1 mi

A cluster of hotels — Hampton Inn and others — around the convention center roughly a mile south of campus, an easy walk or short ride.

Wider net

Downtown DC & Dupont Circle

~15 min

The much larger downtown and Dupont hotel markets are a short Metro ride away, the fallback when the near-campus rooms are gone.

Howard's Homecoming is one of the biggest in the country, and DC hotels book out months ahead for it — reserve very early. Rooms are tight across the city for move-in, for Opening Convocation, and above all for Homecoming in late October, when Howard alumni return in force. The Cambria near campus and the Shaw and Convention Center hotels are closest; downtown DC and Dupont Circle add many more rooms a short Metro ride away.

Gear up