Public · University

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas · Distant rural

79.3%
Admit rate
$13,570
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$45,411
Median earnings

Prairie View A & M University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Prairie View, Texas (distant rural setting), enrolling 8,877 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 8,877 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 79% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Prairie View A & M University's admitted students.

Admit rate
79.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
860–1080
Avg GPA (est.)
2.85

Enter a test score to see where you land against Prairie View A & M University's admitted students.

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

About Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View is a city in Waller County, Texas, United States, situated on the northwestern edge of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. In September 2018 a cricket complex in Prairie View was scheduled to open. It was established by Pakistani American Tanweer Ahmed. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
44 miles to Houston, TX
To the ocean
61 miles
Nearest airport
39 miles to George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) · major hub

How Prairie View A & M University compares

Selectivity79.3%

More selective than 46% · #34 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average980

Higher than 6%

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 28% · #54 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention76%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,411

Higher than 25% · #74 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$13,570

Cheaper than 78% · #29 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment8,877

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Prairie View A & M University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

9,922students
  • Undergraduate8,87789%
  • Graduate1,04511%

Undergraduates by gender

8,877undergrads
  • Women5,41561%
  • Men3,46239%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White1.1%
  • Black84%
  • Hispanic7.3%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial6.6%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,877
Graduate enrollment
1,045
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
66%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$28,812
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$85,770
Endowment
$150,054,853

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 2,112 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas88%
  • Other U.S. states11%
  • International0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Prairie View A & M University draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

1% came from outside the U.S. 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
79.3%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
860–1080
SAT average
980
SAT reading
450–550
SAT math
410–530
ACT composite
16–21
Average GPA (estimated)
2.85

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,299
Out-of-state tuition
$26,874
Room & board
$10,317
Books & supplies
$1,571
Total cost of attendance
$26,362
Average net price
$13,570

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)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
20%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,350
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,411
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
68%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
24%

About 23% 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
20%
Low-income (Pell)
32%
First-generation
31%

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
4,808
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
54%
Housing charge (year)
$6,848
Meal plan (year)
$3,335
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
480 (285 men · 195 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)

Football101
Track and Field (Indoor)78
Track and Field (Outdoor)78
Baseball43
Softball33
Basketball32
Soccer29
Cross Country22
Tennis21
Golf20
Volleyball15
Bowling8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
11.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
115
Property offenses (2022–2024)
223

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (9,922 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.

113reported offenses a year
38 violent a year74 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
47
Motor vehicle theft
26
Aggravated assault
14
Rape
13
Fondling
9.0
Robbery
2.3
Arson
1.0
Murder
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
$12,120
$30–48k
$13,465
$48–75k
$16,024
$75–110k
$17,753
$110k+
$16,376

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
$76,837

$16,024/year × about 4.8 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.

63%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,077
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 63% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,077. 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 1,554 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)
$45,411
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
59%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.9 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
$45,537
Men
$44,803

Women out-earn men by $734 (2%) 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
95°F
Winter low
41°F
Annual rain
43.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bellville 6Nne, TX US station (14.2 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.

Colleges similar to Prairie View A & M University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Prairie View A & M University side by side →

Colleges near Prairie View A & M University

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.