District of Columbia: school, college and career rules
The District of Columbia requires 24 Carnegie units plus 100 hours of volunteer community service, tests with DC CAPE, gives UDC's DC rate after 90 days' residence, and pays up to $15,000 a year toward public college tuition anywhere in the country through the DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG).
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
5-A DCMR § 2203 (OSSE): students who entered ninth grade in 2007-08 or later need 24 Carnegie units, a graduation plan made at the start of ninth grade, and community service. Required units: OSSE
View source
| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| English | 4.0 |
| Mathematics | 4.0, including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II |
| Science | 4.0, including three lab sciences (one of them Biology) |
| Social studies | 4.0, including World History 1 and 2, U.S. History, U.S. Government and DC History |
| World language | 2.0 |
| Art and music | 0.5 each |
| Physical education/health | 1.5 |
| Electives | 3.5 |
24 Carnegie units.
State tests for the diploma
No exit exam, but students must also complete 100 hours of volunteer community service (projects set by each LEA), and at least two of the 24 units must be College Level or Career Preparatory (CLCP) courses. OSSE
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Also good to know
- All students must enrol in Algebra I by 10th grade (since 2016-17), and DCPS or the Public Charter School Board may let a school award competency-based units instead of Carnegie units.
OSSE
Graduation Requirements (5-A DCMR § 2203)Office of the State Superintendent of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
State test: DC CAPE
District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education (DC CAPE). DC CAPE is the District's general statewide assessment system in English language arts/literacy, math and science. The DC ELA and DC Math tests follow the design of the PARCC tests DC gave from 2015 to 2023; DC Science (first given in 2019) assesses the Next Generation Science Standards. OSSE
View source
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| DC ELA | English language arts/literacy | Grades 3–8, ELA I and ELA II |
| DC Math | Mathematics | Grades 3–8, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II |
| DC Science | Science | Grades 5 and 8 and high school Biology |
Source: OSSE
View source
What the scores are used for
- DC CAPE tests are computer-based, and the DC CAPE Portal offers practice tests, tutorials and sample items.
OSSE
DC CAPE (District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education)Office of the State Superintendent of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- University of the District of Columbia (UDC)University system · The only public university in the nation's capital and the only urban land-grant university in the United States, a public historically Black university founded in 1851 that offers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and a law school.
- UDC Community CollegeCommunity colleges · UDC's two-year college, with more than 25 associate degree programs (for example nursing, information technology and law enforcement) and the CARE Program, which lets pre-college DC students earn college credits at no cost.
Sources: UDC
View sourceUDC
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Every school in District of Columbia, public and private, with cost and completion: 23 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 1 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- UDC presumes every student is out of state until shown otherwise by clear and convincing evidence: to get the D.C. (or lower D.C. Metro) rate a student must have lived in D.C. (or the covered Maryland and Virginia counties) for at least 90 days before the term starts.
UDC
Establishing DC and Metro ResidencyUniversity of the District of Columbia, Office of Recruitment and Admission- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- Students file a Proof of Residency Form with two approved documents, such as certified state tax returns, an unexpired state ID, a voter registration profile, a W-2 or a recent utility bill, by each term's deadline (for fall 2026, 2 September 2026).
UDC
Establishing DC and Metro ResidencyUniversity of the District of Columbia, Office of Recruitment and Admission- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- For DCTAG, a student must have been a DC resident for at least 12 consecutive months before first entering college and keep a DC domicile throughout; a dependent student under 24 takes the parent's or legal guardian's domicile.
OSSE
DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG)Office of the State Superintendent of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), DCTAG program. Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG)
Created by the DC College Access Act of 1999 because DC has no state university system. From the 2026-27 award year it pays up to $15,000 a year ($75,000 lifetime) toward the gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public colleges nationwide, and up to $3,750 a year ($18,750 lifetime) at private four-year HBCUs nationwide or private nonprofit colleges in the DC region. Apply every year through the DC OneApp and the FAFSA (2026: 2 February to 21 August). OSSE
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Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a District of Columbia license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | District of Columbia board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | Committee on Admissions, D.C. Court of Appeals | Uniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE and MPT). MPRE required (passing score 75). NextGen UBE from February 2028. NCBEDistrict of Columbia: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | District of Columbia Board of Medicine | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.) FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | District of Columbia Board of Accountancy | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | District of Columbia Board of Nursing | NCLEX-RN · Not in the Nurse Licensure Compact NCSBNContact District of Columbia Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
Careers DC
DC Department of Human Resources (DCHR)
- Find DC government jobs through Find a DC Gov Job on the DC Department of Human Resources site, which opens the Careers DC application system.
Source: DCHR
View source
Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
District of Columbia has a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- Apprenticeship DC (DC Department of Employment Services)The District is a State Apprenticeship Agency jurisdiction: the Department of Employment Services launched ApprenticeshipDC in 2017 to connect employers, government resources and workforce programs to DC residents, with the DC Apprenticeship Council and Youth Apprenticeship Advisory Council meeting every two months.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: DOES
View source
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- District of Columbia: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact District of Columbia Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- Graduation Requirements (5-A DCMR § 2203) · Office of the State Superintendent of Education checked 2026-10-22
- DC CAPE (District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education) · Office of the State Superintendent of Education checked 2026-10-22
- About the University of the District of Columbia · University of the District of Columbia checked 2026-10-22
- UDC Community College · University of the District of Columbia checked 2026-10-22
- Establishing DC and Metro Residency · University of the District of Columbia, Office of Recruitment and Admission checked 2026-10-22
- DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) · Office of the State Superintendent of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Mayor Bowser Celebrates 25 Years of DCTAG and First-Ever Increase in Annual Award from $10,000 to $15,000 · Office of the State Superintendent of Education checked 2026-10-22
- DC Department of Human Resources (Find a DC Gov Job) · DC Department of Human Resources checked 2026-10-22
- Apprenticeship DC · DC Department of Employment Services checked 2026-10-22
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21