Private nonprofit · University

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico · Midsize city

98.1%
Admit rate
$13,192
Avg net price
49%
Graduation rate
$24,908
Median earnings

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico (midsize city setting), enrolling 3,874 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,874 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 98% admitOtherMild wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce's admitted students.

Admit rate
98.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1195–1360
Avg GPA (est.)
3.58

Enter a test score to see where you land against Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

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
46 miles to San Juan, PR
To the ocean
2 miles

How Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce compares

Selectivity98.1%

More selective than 7% · #22 most selective of 27 in Puerto Rico

SAT average1300

Higher than 80%

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 37% · #12 of 37 in Puerto Rico

First-year retention83%

Higher than 70%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$24,908

Higher than 1% · #22 of 37 in Puerto Rico

Average net price$13,192

Cheaper than 80% · #35 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico

Median debt at graduation$15,500

Lower than 89%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment3,874

Larger than 73%

Percentiles compare Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-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

5,436students
  • Undergraduate3,87471%
  • Graduate1,56229%

Undergraduates by gender

3,874undergrads
  • Women2,26458%
  • Men1,61042%

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
3,874
Graduate enrollment
1,562
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
81%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$10,990
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$40,905
Endowment
$12,739,843

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 754 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Puerto Rico100%

Most first-years stay in state — Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce 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
98.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1195–1360
SAT average
1300
SAT reading
595–680
SAT math
600–680
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.58

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,650
Room & board
$6,791
Books & supplies
$3,624
Total cost of attendance
$20,508
Average net price
$13,192

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)
49%
Graduated on time (4 years)
19%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$20,637
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$24,908
Median debt at graduation
$15,500
Students with federal loans
30%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
26%

About 30% 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
19%
Low-income (Pell)
28%
First-generation
27%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
206
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
5%
Housing charge (year)
$2,660
Application fee
Free
Athletics
Other
Varsity athletes
268 (132 men · 136 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (12)

Other Sports58
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)37
Soccer35
Basketball29
Volleyball29
Baseball21
Weight Lifting16
Softball14
Tennis9
Beach Volleyball8
Swimming6
Table Tennis6

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,568 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
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
$12,384
$30–48k
$13,341
$48–75k
$15,812
$75–110k
$18,329
$110k+
$20,122

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
$77,687

$15,812/year × about 4.9 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.

39%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$916
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 39% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $916. 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 775 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)
$24,908
Typical debt at graduation
$15,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
62%
Out-earn a HS grad
18%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$22,868
Men
$28,444

Men out-earn women by $5,576 (24%) 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 (6.3 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 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce side by side →

Colleges near Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-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.