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.
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
More selective than 7% · #22 most selective of 27 in Puerto Rico
Higher than 80%
Higher than 37% · #12 of 37 in Puerto Rico
Higher than 70%
Higher than 1% · #22 of 37 in Puerto Rico
Cheaper than 80% · #35 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico
Lower than 89%
Lower than 28%
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
- Undergraduate3,87471%
- Graduate1,56229%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ponce 4 E, PR RQ station (6.3 mi from campus).
What Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-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 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 →
Maharishi International University
Fairfield, Iowa · Remote town · 68 mi to Cedar Rapids
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
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Universidad Adventista de las Antillas
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico · Small suburb · 68 mi to San Juan
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
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Benedict College
Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city · 1 mi to Columbia
- Students
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- Admission
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- Net price
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Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 6 mi to Asheville
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- Earnings
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Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico · Small city · 71 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 555
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $25k
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Barranquitas
Barranquitas, Puerto Rico · Large suburb · 23 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 937
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
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Colleges near Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
Academia Serrant Inc
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 156 students
Ponce Health Sciences University
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Graduate
Escuela Tecnica de Electricidad
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 183 students
Instituto Educativo Premier
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 290 students
University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
Ponce, PR · Public · Bachelor's · 2,278 students
Automeca Technical College-Ponce
Ponce, PR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 310 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.











