Private nonprofit · University

Caribbean University-Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico · Midsize city

#4 best value in Puerto Rico
Admit rate
$4,964
Avg net price
37%
Graduation rate
$22,842
Median earnings

Caribbean University-Ponce is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico (midsize city setting), enrolling 414 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Private nonprofitSmall · 414 undergradsMidsize cityMild wintersNear the coast

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
Graduate
Nearest big city
45 miles to San Juan, PR
To the ocean
3 miles

How Caribbean University-Ponce compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 18% · #30 of 37 in Puerto Rico

First-year retention76%

Higher than 49%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$22,842

Higher than 1% · #32 of 37 in Puerto Rico

Average net price$4,964

Cheaper than 98% · #4 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 97%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment414

Larger than 19%

Percentiles compare Caribbean University-Ponce with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Puerto Rico.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

573students
  • Undergraduate41472%
  • Graduate15928%

Undergraduates by gender

414undergrads
  • Women23056%
  • Men18444%

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
414
Graduate enrollment
159
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
71%
First-generation students
50%
Students over 25
56%
Median family income
$0
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$20,529
Endowment
$36,356

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,844
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,250
Total cost of attendance
$10,000
Average net price
$4,964

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 (within 6 years)
37%
Graduated on time (4 years)
24%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$18,349
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$22,842
Median debt at graduation
$10,500
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
25%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
24%
Low-income (Pell)
9%
First-generation
9%

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
$30

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
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (591 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.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.0reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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.

< $30k
$30–48k
$4,964
$48–75k
$75–110k
$110k+

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$22,467

$4,964/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

8%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$300
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $300. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 60 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$22,842
Typical debt at graduation
$10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
46%
Out-earn a HS grad
18%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$18,839
Men
$29,865

Men out-earn women by $11,026 (59%) 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

HighLow
50°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.56.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ponce 4 E, PR RQ station (4.7 mi from campus).

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 Caribbean University-Ponce

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Caribbean University-Ponce side by side →

Colleges near Caribbean University-Ponce

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.