Private nonprofit · University

Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

Arecibo, Puerto Rico · Small city

#4 most selective in Puerto Rico
38.2%
Admit rate
$9,217
Avg net price
39%
Graduation rate
$24,539
Median earnings

Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Arecibo, Puerto Rico (small city setting), enrolling 2,220 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,220 undergradsSmall citySelective · 38% admitMild wintersNear the coast

About Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Arecibo is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. Arecibo was officially founded as a town by the Spanish crown on May 1, 1616, under the governorship of Captain Felipe de Beaumont y Navarra, when the King of Spain granted the land (and the Taino living there) to Lope Conchillos. Arecibo began celebrating its patron saint festival in 1616. Arecibo celebrates its patron saint festival in May. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
43 miles to San Juan, PR
To the ocean
1 mile

How Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo compares

Selectivity38.2%

More selective than 91% · #4 most selective of 27 in Puerto Rico

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 21% · #23 of 37 in Puerto Rico

First-year retention71%

Higher than 34%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$24,539

Higher than 1% · #26 of 37 in Puerto Rico

Average net price$9,217

Cheaper than 93% · #21 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico

Median debt at graduation$9,000

Lower than 99%

Student–faculty ratio26 : 1

Lower than 3%

Undergraduate enrollment2,220

Larger than 60%

Percentiles compare Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo 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

2,419students
  • Undergraduate2,22092%
  • Graduate1998%

Undergraduates by gender

2,220undergrads
  • Women1,32460%
  • Men89640%

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
2,220
Graduate enrollment
199
Student–faculty ratio
26 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
77%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
26%
Median family income
$7,423
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$49,212

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 391 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Puerto Rico100%

Most first-years stay in state — Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo draws overwhelmingly from Puerto Rico.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
38.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,780
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,460
Total cost of attendance
$16,625
Average net price
$9,217

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)
39%
Graduated on time (4 years)
10%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$22,401
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$24,539
Median debt at graduation
$9,000
Students with federal loans
15%

About 29% 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
10%
Low-income (Pell)
22%
First-generation
22%

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 (2,624 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.

< $30k
$8,897
$30–48k
$9,892
$48–75k
$11,216
$75–110k
$14,497
$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
$57,357

$11,216/year × about 5.1 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.

71%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$536
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 71% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $536. 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 377 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)
$24,539
Typical debt at graduation
$9,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$21,872
Men
$28,195

Men out-earn women by $6,323 (29%) 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
61°F
Annual rain
84.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
50°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.05.210JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Arecibo Obsy, PR RQ station (8.7 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 Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo side by side →

Colleges near Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

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.