Atlantic University
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 26/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Atlantic University, a small private design-focused university in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 26/100. Average earnings six years after entry are $16,100, and median earnings ten years after entry are $25,272. The earnings premium subscore is just 1 because graduates underperform even Puerto Rico's modest high school graduate baseline. However, median federal debt is only $5,457 - exceptionally low - producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.339 (subscore 91) and a monthly payment of just $58. Tuition is $8,280 and the average net price is $6,425, totaling $25,700 over four years. The 999-year payback flag reflects the negative earnings premium on Scorecard's mainland-wage-comparison model. The 39.4% completion rate is the main institutional concern.
How Atlantic University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score26/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate39.4% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Atlantic University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $8,280/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $8,280/yr |
| Average net price | $6,425/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $25,700 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $25,272 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $16,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $5,457 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $58 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 39.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,451 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $8,280/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $6,425/year, or roughly $25,700 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $5,705/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $5,457, which works out to about $58 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($16,100) and comes to 0.34, which in our view is comfortably manageable.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $5,705 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $6,558 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $8,858 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $9,440 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 - which is the dominant income bracket on the island - pay $5,705 net per year. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $6,558. With Pell stacking and Puerto Rico-specific aid, four-year out-of-pocket is genuinely affordable. The low debt loads support graduates even at modest earnings.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $8,858 and $75,001-$110,000 pays $9,440. These brackets capture relatively few Puerto Rico families given the island's median household income. Middle-income families effectively pay close to sticker.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Scorecard reports no net price for households above $110,000 at Atlantic University, reflecting the absence of high-income enrollees in the data sample. Puerto Rico's income distribution is concentrated in the lower brackets, so this gap is structural rather than an aid-policy anomaly.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Atlantic University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Software and Media Applications | $21,309 | B+ |
| Graphic Communications | $23,042 | B |
| Design and Applied Arts | $24,701 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Computer Software and Media Applications
Computer Software and Media Applications is Atlantic University's flagship and largest program: 188 graduates, $15,617 in first-year earnings rising to $21,309 by year four, with median debt of just $5,131 producing a 0.329 debt-to-earnings ratio. The B+ ROI grade reflects the modest debt relative to earnings, not absolute prosperity. Graduates fan out into Puerto Rico's digital creative agencies, broadcast media, and freelance design markets.
Graphic Communications
Graphic Communications (27 grads) earns a B ROI grade. First-year earnings of $15,397 against $5,440 of debt produce a 0.353 ratio. Four-year earnings of $23,042 are typical for the Puerto Rico graphic design labor market. Career paths include print and digital design at local agencies, in-house corporate design teams, and freelance work serving Latin American clients.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 59.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 65.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 42.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 42.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Atlantic University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 1,451 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 84.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $2,891 |
The school operates as an accessible private specializing in design and digital media. Prospective students are typically evaluated on portfolio and Spanish-language academic preparation rather than mainland test scores.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic University (this school) | 26 | $6,425 | $25,272 |
| Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico | 27 | $17,540 | $47,540 |
| University of Puerto Rico at Cayey | 24 | $10,176 | $30,958 |
| University of Puerto Rico-Humacao | 23 | $12,675 | $29,521 |
| University of Puerto Rico-Carolina | 22 | $12,945 | $30,626 |
| Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa | 17 | $6,440 | $21,410 |
Who Thrives Here
Pell rate of 84.5% and enrollment of 1,451 mark Atlantic as a heavily low-income Puerto Rico institution serving working-class families. The school fits Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico residents pursuing graphic design, digital media, or applied arts careers in the local creative economy, advertising, and broadcast media sectors. The very low debt levels mean students are not overborrowing, which limits the financial damage of weak earnings outcomes.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Atlantic University scores 26/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $6,425 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $25,272 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: manageable debt relative to earnings. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 39.4% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 65.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $5,457 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $16,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Atlantic University: Common Questions
Is Atlantic University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Atlantic University scores 26/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $6,425 a year after aid against $25,272 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Atlantic University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $6,425 a year, or roughly $25,700 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Atlantic University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $25,272 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Atlantic University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Atlantic University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Atlantic University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $5,457, against average earnings of $16,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Atlantic University?
The six-year graduation rate is 39.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.