Public · University

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

Arecibo, Puerto Rico · Small city

59.2%
Admit rate
$10,680
Avg net price
52%
Graduation rate
$30,512
Median earnings

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Arecibo, Puerto Rico (small city setting), enrolling 2,669 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 2,669 undergradsSmall citySelective · 59% admitOtherMild 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
42 miles to San Juan, PR
To the ocean
1 mile

How University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo compares

Selectivity59.2%

More selective than 77% · #15 most selective of 27 in Puerto Rico

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 44% · #7 of 37 in Puerto Rico

First-year retention76%

Higher than 50%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$30,512

Higher than 3% · #12 of 37 in Puerto Rico

Average net price$10,680

Cheaper than 89% · #28 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico

Median debt at graduation$4,500

Lower than 99%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment2,669

Larger than 66%

Percentiles compare 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

2,684students
  • Undergraduate2,66999%
  • Graduate151%

Undergraduates by gender

2,669undergrads
  • Women1,59060%
  • Men1,07940%

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
2,669
Graduate enrollment
15
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
89%
First-generation students
22%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$16,175
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,709

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

Admissions

Admission rate
59.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,354
Room & board
Books & supplies
$4,168
Total cost of attendance
$17,710
Average net price
$10,680

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)
52%
Graduated on time (4 years)
15%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$19,546
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$30,512
Median debt at graduation
$4,500
Students with federal loans
3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 37% 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
15%
First-generation
35%

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
Athletics
Other
Varsity athletes
183 (109 men · 74 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 (11)

Soccer37
Basketball30
Baseball23
Volleyball22
Track and Field (Outdoor)16
Weight Lifting15
Cross Country10
Table Tennis10
Wrestling8
Beach Volleyball8
Other Sports4

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

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 (2,704 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
$10,332
$30–48k
$11,033
$48–75k
$12,065
$75–110k
$12,960
$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
$61,214

$12,065/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.

21%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,448
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 21% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,448. 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 681 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)
$30,512
Typical debt at graduation
$4,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
15%
Out-earn a HS grad

Typical debt would take roughly 1.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$27,940
Men
$34,491

Men out-earn women by $6,551 (23%) 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 (8.3 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 University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

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

Colleges near 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.