Public · University

University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico · Midsize city

52.4%
Admit rate
$10,990
Avg net price
46%
Graduation rate
$31,394
Median earnings

University of Puerto Rico at Ponce is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,278 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 2,278 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 52% admitOtherMild wintersNear the coast

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
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
46 miles to San Juan, PR
To the ocean
2 miles

How University of Puerto Rico at Ponce compares

Selectivity52.4%

More selective than 83% · #8 most selective of 27 in Puerto Rico

Graduation rate46%

Higher than 32% · #15 of 37 in Puerto Rico

First-year retention73%

Higher than 39%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,394

Higher than 4% · #8 of 37 in Puerto Rico

Average net price$10,990

Cheaper than 88% · #29 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico

Median debt at graduation$5,500

Lower than 99%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment2,278

Larger than 61%

Percentiles compare University of Puerto Rico at 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

Undergraduates by gender

2,278undergrads
  • Women1,28756%
  • Men99144%

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
2,278
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
83%
First-generation students
21%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$17,959
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$53,235

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

Admissions

Admission rate
52.4%
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
$17,193
Average net price
$10,990

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)
46%
Graduated on time (4 years)
16%
First-year retention
73%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$22,404
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$31,394
Median debt at graduation
$5,500
Students with federal loans
8%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

About 31% 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
16%
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
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
Other
Varsity athletes
172 (107 men · 65 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 (9)

Other Sports29
Volleyball28
Basketball27
Track and Field (Outdoor)24
Baseball23
Soccer17
Cross Country10
Beach Volleyball8
Weight Lifting6

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 (2,373 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
$10,114
$30–48k
$10,534
$48–75k
$13,017
$75–110k
$13,600
$110k+
$12,404

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
$65,031

$13,017/year × about 5.0 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.

44%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,404
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 44% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,404. 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 599 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)
$31,394
Typical debt at graduation
$5,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
18%
Out-earn a HS grad

Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 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
$27,750
Men
$35,810

Men out-earn women by $8,060 (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
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 (5.8 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 at Ponce

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

Colleges near University of Puerto Rico at 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.