Private for-profit · Community college
Automeca Technical College-Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico · Midsize city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $4,834
- Avg net price
- 73%
- Grad / completion
- $24,632
- Median earnings
Automeca Technical College-Ponce is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico (midsize city setting), enrolling 310 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Archaeological findings have identified four sites within the municipality of Ponce with archaeological significance: Canas, Tibes, Caracoles, and El Bronce. The municipality invests close to half a million dollars in promoting its cultural assets. It established its first library in 1894 and, as of 2007 had a new central library with seven other branches scattered throughout the municipality. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 47 miles to San Juan, PR
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
How Automeca Technical College-Ponce compares
Higher than 67% · #21 of 69 in Puerto Rico
Higher than 77%
Higher than 17% · #17 of 68 in Puerto Rico
Cheaper than 91% · #20 cheapest of 70 in Puerto Rico
Lower than 99%
Lower than 49%
Larger than 54%
Percentiles compare Automeca Technical College-Ponce with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Puerto Rico.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women165%
- Men29495%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- Hispanic100%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 310
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 96%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 31%
- Median family income
- $0
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $9,095
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $300
- Total cost of attendance
- $14,278
- Average net price
- $4,834
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 73%
- First-year retention
- 87%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $21,983
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $24,632
- Median debt at graduation
- $3,030
- Students with federal loans
- 15%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 37%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (310 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Automeca Technical College-Ponce funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $24,632
- Typical debt at graduation
- $3,030
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 12%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 16%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $1,006 (4%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 62°F
- Annual rain
- 37.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ponce 4 E, PR RQ station (7.4 mi from campus).
What Automeca Technical College-Ponce graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Automeca Technical College-Ponce
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Automeca Technical College-Ponce side by side →
Automeca Technical College-Aguadilla
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · Midsize suburb · 68 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 246
- Tuition
- $9k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $25k
Automeca Technical College-Caguas
Caguas, Puerto Rico · Small city · 17 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 186
- Tuition
- $9k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $25k
Huertas College
Caguas, Puerto Rico · Small city · 17 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 430
- Tuition
- $9k
- Transfer
- 3%
- Earnings
- $23k
Advantage Technical College-Aguadilla
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · Small city · 69 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 263
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $27k
Automeca Technical College-Bayamon
Bayamon, Puerto Rico · Midsize city · 6 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 482
- Tuition
- $9k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $25k
Escuela Tecnica de Electricidad
Ponce, Puerto Rico · Midsize city · 46 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 183
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $26k
Colleges near Automeca Technical College-Ponce
Escuela Tecnica de Electricidad
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 183 students
Academia Serrant Inc
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 156 students
Instituto Educativo Premier
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 290 students
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
Ponce, PR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,874 students
Ponce Health Sciences University
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Graduate
University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
Ponce, PR · Public · Bachelor's · 2,278 students
Caribbean University-Ponce
Ponce, PR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 414 students
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
Mercedita, PR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,404 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.