Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.

Paying for college in DC

What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply.

From the state

  • DC Tuition Assistance Grant: District residents, up to $15,000 a year at public colleges nationwide

Who qualifies, and how to apply ↓

From the colleges

Merit scholarships. No college here publishes a scholarship by grades that a student is sure to get. The terms of each are in the table below.

Promises on aid at George Washington and Georgetown.

Every college's scholarships, promises and price ↓

What would each college cost your family?

See all 7 DC colleges priced for your income, and the aid your student could get.

See costs at your income →

Already have a list? Put your schools side by side →

Get reminders for the dates that matter

We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.

From the state

DC's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.

DC Tuition Assistance Grant

For District residents of 12 months or more going for a first bachelor's degree. It covers the gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public colleges, up to $15,000 a year from 2026-27. At private HBCUs and private nonprofit colleges in the DC region it pays up to $3,750 a year. Apply every year; income limits apply.

Source: Office of the State Superintendent of Education, DC Tuition Assistance Grant
“DCTAG helps cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public colleges and universities attended by DC students.”
“Beginning with the 2026–27 academic year, the maximum annual award for eligible public college students will increase from $10,000 to $15,000, and the lifetime cap will rise from $50,000 to $75,000.”
“Also beginning in the 2026-27 award year, students attending private, four-year, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide or private nonprofit institutions in the DC region may receive up to $3,750 annually, with an $18,750 lifetime cap.”
“DCTAG applicants must apply every year they are seeking DCTAG funding (prior to yearly deadline)”
“Be a District of Columbia resident for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the applicant’s first time in college”
“Accepted for enrollment in, or working toward a first undergraduate degree on, at least, a half-time basis as a regular degree-seeking student;”
— Office of the State Superintendent of Education, DC Tuition Assistance Grant, checked 2026-10

From the colleges

What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.

CollegeMerit scholarshipsPromise on aidFull price a year
American University
private
  • In state: the District Scholars Award covers full tuition, room and board for 10 students a year from DC public and charter high schools, by achievement and need
  • AU Presidential, Deans' and Leadership scholarships, $6,000 to $35,000, for students in the top 10 to 15 percent of admitted students. No separate application. Renewable for eight semesters
—$88,970
Gallaudet University
private
  • Merit scholarships of $11,000, $9,000 or $7,000 a year, by ACT, SAT and GPA. Every newly admitted undergraduate is considered automatically
—$41,135
George Washington University
private
  • In state: the District Scholars program covers what a family cannot pay, for DC high school graduates with a family income of $75,000 or less. No separate application
  • Presidential Academic Scholarships, tuition awards to the most competitive applicants. Every applicant is considered automatically, and amounts vary by student
Revolutionary Promise, full tuition for a household income of $100,000 or less; Revolutionary Promise, at least half of tuition for a household income of $150,000 or less$95,834
Georgetown University
private		None publishedSays it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay$101,828
Howard University
private
  • Freshman Scholarships, in seven kinds. Merit awards go by SAT or ACT score and high school GPA, need-based awards by Student Aid Index. No separate application, and no amounts published
—$63,756
The Catholic University of America
private
  • The Catholic University Scholarship, $17,000 to $32,000 a year for four years, by the quality of the high school record. No separate application
  • The Parish Scholarship: $4,000 a year for up to four years for parishioners of Catholic churches in the United States. It is not automatic, and the Common Application asks for it
  • The Legacy Grant: $1,000 a year for up to four years, for a first-year student whose parent, grandparent or sibling graduated from the university
—$87,880
Trinity Washington University
private
  • Most accepted students qualify for the Merit Scholarship, eight to 15 thousand dollars a year
—$40,808

Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.

Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.

6 more DC colleges have no page here. For 1 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
  • NewU University
  • Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies
  • Wesley Theological Seminary
  • Institute of World Politics
  • Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
  • The Chicago School at Washington DC

Paying the rest

Our $99 plan works out which money pays each bill, semester by semester: your savings, your 529 and your loans, in the order that costs least.

Build your plan →

Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.

How we worked these out

Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.