Colleges / Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
College · Private nonprofit · Arecibo, PR · Suburb
PCU

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

Arecibo, PR

Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
AddressCarretera 662 KM 2.3, Arecibo, PR 00614-4045
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate94%
6-yr median pay$21k
Net price / yr$11k
Undergrad size273
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $11k/yr for a shot at a $21k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 94% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.

If you get in

273 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.

Where you live

Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $19k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $11k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$75k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$44k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$30k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.2x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$6.5k
Books & supplies
$3,624

How students pay for it.

Pell grants69%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans28%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$16k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention84%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr54%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$21k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$25k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Suburb
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
273
Location
Arecibo, PR
Region
Outlying Areas (AS, FM, GU, MH, MP, PR, PW, VI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · very small · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Hispanic100%
First-gen students31%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time16%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$11k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 18

What you can study.

Colleges / Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
College · Private nonprofit · Arecibo, PR · Suburb
PCU

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

Arecibo, PR

Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
AddressCarretera 662 KM 2.3, Arecibo, PR 00614-4045
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate94%
6-yr median pay$21k
Net price / yr$11k
Undergrad size273
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $11k/yr for a shot at a $21k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 94% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.

If you get in

273 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.

Where you live

Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $19k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $11k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$75k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$44k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$30k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.2x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$6.5k
Books & supplies
$3,624

How students pay for it.

Pell grants69%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans28%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$16k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention84%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr54%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$21k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$25k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Suburb
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
273
Location
Arecibo, PR
Region
Outlying Areas (AS, FM, GU, MH, MP, PR, PW, VI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · very small · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Hispanic-servingReligious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Hispanic100%
First-gen students31%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time16%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$11k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 18

What you can study.