Private nonprofit · University

Caribbean University-Vega Baja

Vega Baja, Puerto Rico · Large suburb

#5 best value in Puerto Rico
Admit rate
$5,235
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$22,842
Median earnings

Caribbean University-Vega Baja is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico (large suburb setting), enrolling 152 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Private nonprofitSmall · 152 undergradsLarge suburbMild wintersNear the coast

About Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

Vega Baja is a town and municipality located on the coast of north central Puerto Rico. Evidence of indigenous settlement in Vega Baja date to as far as 2580 BCE. At the time of the Spanish arrival to Puerto Rico during the 16th century, local tribes in the area were led by Sebuco, a cacique or Taíno chief of the region after whom the Cibuco River is named. Vega Baja celebrates its patron saint festival in October. The Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Virgen del Rosario is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
20 miles to San Juan, PR
To the ocean
3 miles

How Caribbean University-Vega Baja compares

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 40% · #9 of 37 in Puerto Rico

First-year retention65%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$22,842

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

Average net price$5,235

Cheaper than 98% · #5 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 97%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment152

Larger than 11%

Percentiles compare Caribbean University-Vega Baja 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

173students
  • Undergraduate15288%
  • Graduate2112%

Undergraduates by gender

152undergrads
  • Women8455%
  • Men6845%

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
152
Graduate enrollment
21
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
76%
First-generation students
50%
Students over 25
53%
Median family income
$0
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$19,665
Endowment
$18,974

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
$9,936
Average net price
$5,235

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)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
11%
First-year retention
65%
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
22%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
25%

About 39% 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
11%
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%.

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
$5,235
$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
$27,048

$5,235/year × about 5.2 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.

18%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$227
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 18% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $227. 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 28 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
87°F
Winter low
65°F
Annual rain
61.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.87.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Manati 2 E, PR RQ station (4.2 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.

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

Colleges near Caribbean University-Vega Baja

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.