University-District-Columbia history

In 1873 the Washington Normal School was established for white girls in the District.

In 1879 it became part of the District of Columbia public school system.

In 1913 it became known as the Wilson Normal School.

In 1955 the colleges merged into District of Columbia Teachers College.

In 1966, Congress enacted the District of Columbia Public Education Act, which established Federal City College and Washington Technical Institute.

By the time the college opened in 1968, however, admission was open and applications had soared to 6000; students were placed by lottery.

In 1975 the District of Columbia Teachers College, the Washington Technical Institute and Federal City College were consolidated by Congress to form the University of District of Columbia.

The City Council authorized the consolidation of the three schools, and in 1976, began the monumental task of creating a new University of the District of Columbia.

In 1977, under President Carter’s leadership, UDC began consolidating its academic programs.

In late 2012, the university reported that its average expenses of "$35,152 [per full-time student] are 66 percent higher than expenses for comparable schools." To cut costs, UDC underwent a reorganization and eliminated several degree programs.

The university launched the District of Columbia's Institute of Politics Policy and History in 2019.

In response to the 2020 racial justice uprisings, the university launched the Institute for the Study and Elimination of White Supremacy