Public · University

University of Puerto Rico-Carolina

Carolina, Puerto Rico · Large suburb

54.5%
Admit rate
$12,945
Avg net price
37%
Graduation rate
$30,626
Median earnings

University of Puerto Rico-Carolina is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Carolina, Puerto Rico (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,404 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 2,404 undergradsLarge suburbSelective · 55% admitOtherMild wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
54.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
809–1057
Avg GPA (est.)
2.78

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

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

About Carolina, Puerto Rico

Carolina is a city and municipality on the northeastern coastal plain of Puerto Rico, immediately east of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, north of Gurabo and Juncos, and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. In 1857 it was renamed to San Fernando de la Carolina, later shortened to Carolina, after Charles II of Spain. Carolina celebrates its patron saint festival in late May / early June. The Fiestas Patronales de San Fernando is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
9 miles to San Juan, PR
To the ocean
4 miles

How University of Puerto Rico-Carolina compares

Selectivity54.5%

More selective than 81% · #10 most selective of 27 in Puerto Rico

SAT average932

Higher than 2%

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 19% · #28 of 37 in Puerto Rico

First-year retention71%

Higher than 35%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$30,626

Higher than 3% · #11 of 37 in Puerto Rico

Average net price$12,945

Cheaper than 81% · #34 cheapest of 37 in Puerto Rico

Median debt at graduation$5,500

Lower than 99%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment2,404

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare University of Puerto Rico-Carolina 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

2,404undergrads
  • Women1,49162%
  • Men91338%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • Black2.9%
  • Hispanic96%
  • Other or multiracial0.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,404
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
76%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$20,302
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,851

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 712 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Puerto Rico100%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Puerto Rico-Carolina 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
54.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
809–1057
SAT average
932
SAT reading
411–538
SAT math
398–519
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
2.78

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,986
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,793
Total cost of attendance
$19,396
Average net price
$12,945

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)
37%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$22,317
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$30,626
Median debt at graduation
$5,500
Students with federal loans
3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
56%

About 12% 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
26%
First-generation
4%

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
137 (64 men · 73 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 (6)

Track and Field (Indoor)31
Basketball30
Soccer30
Volleyball26
Weight Lifting12
Beach Volleyball8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,576 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.7

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
$12,287
$30–48k
$13,001
$48–75k
$15,267
$75–110k
$16,900
$110k+
$18,229

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
$68,146

$15,267/year × about 4.5 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.

74%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,287
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 74% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,287. 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 701 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)
$30,626
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
$28,730
Men
$35,061

Men out-earn women by $6,331 (22%) 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
89°F
Winter low
70°F
Annual rain
65.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.07.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wfo San Juan, PR RQ station (2.7 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-Carolina

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

Colleges near University of Puerto Rico-Carolina

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.