Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico · Private Nonprofit · 98.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 10/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce scores 10 (Below Benchmark). The earnings premium is actually negative (-19.1%). The payback period is flagged as 999 years - effectively, median earnings of $24,908 ten years out never recoup the cost. The debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.876 and the earnings premium is negative. Tuition of $6,650 is genuinely low, but the $13,192 net price (double the tuition) reveals how much non-tuition cost dominates the equation. Completion is 48.6% and repayment rate is just 45.3%. The 80.6% Pell-grant rate confirms the school serves an overwhelmingly low-income Puerto Rican student body in a labor market with structurally depressed wages. PUCPR-Ponce's mission as a Catholic institution serving Puerto Rico has value, but as of 2024-2025 Scorecard data the financial math is weak. Important context: Puerto Rico's broader wage depression affects all PR schools and these earnings numbers should be read in that local economic context.
How Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce 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 Score10/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 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.
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $6,650/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $6,650/yr |
| Average net price | $13,192/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $52,768 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $24,908 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $17,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $15,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $164 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 48.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,874 |
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: $6,650/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $13,192/year, or roughly $52,768 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 $12,384/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $20,122/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $15,500, which works out to about $164 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($17,700) and comes to 0.88, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
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 | $12,384 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $13,341 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $15,812 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $18,329 |
| $110,001+ | $20,122 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $12,384 net per year. With 80% of students Pell-eligible, this is the dominant student profile. Federal aid covers a meaningful share but the residual roughly $50K four-year cost is severe against $25K median earnings ten years out. Most low-income students will spend years in income-driven repayment.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48K-$75K band pays $15,812 and the $75K-$110K band climbs to $18,329. Middle-income Puerto Rican families face $63K-$73K in four-year out-of-pocket cost against an island labor market that produces $25K median earnings ten years out. The financial math doesn't work without external support or mainland relocation.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110K pay $20,122 - well above the $6,650 tuition sticker, indicating no aid for high-income families. Total four-year cost approaches $80K. For high-income PR families, this is essentially a values-driven purchase of Catholic education; the earnings ceiling created by the local labor market means no major mix here justifies the cost on financial grounds alone.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $27,205 | F |
| Registered Nursing | $36,764 | F |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $28,523 | D |
| Psychology | $24,118 | C+ |
| Social Work | $19,099 | D |
| Political Science and Government | $22,958 | D |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $24,451 | C |
| Allied Health Diagnostic and Treatment | $24,028 | F |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | $22,355 | D |
| Architecture | $45,710 | F |
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.
Biology
Biology is by far the largest program at 175 graduates, with $17,632 first-year earnings, $18,500 debt, and a 1.049 debt-to-earnings ratio (F grade). Students owe more than they earn annually. The program likely feeds pre-med aspirations; students who don't continue to medical or PA school face long financial recovery.
Registered Nursing
Nursing produces 103 graduates with just $12,033 first-year earnings (the PR nursing wage scale is roughly half of mainland rates) and $19,000 debt - a 1.579 D/E ratio (F grade). Mainland-licensed PR nurses who relocate to states like Florida or Texas can multiply their earnings, and that's the rational play for any student in this program.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts enrolls 52 graduates with $19,848 first-year earnings, $19,040 debt, and a 0.959 D/E ratio (D grade). This is the broadest catch-all major and the outcomes are correspondingly weak. Most graduates earn near what high-school-only workers earn locally.
Psychology
Psychology produces 44 graduates with $26,047 first-year earnings against $12,250 in debt. The bachelor's still needs graduate study for real upside, but as a four-year credential this is one of the rational picks here.
Social Work
Social Work enrolls 35 graduates with reported $19,099 four-year earnings and $17,500 debt for a 0.916 D/E ratio (D grade). Social work in Puerto Rico is severely underpaid even by mainland standards. Students choosing this path need to view it as mission-driven, not income-optimizing.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 37.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 45.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 37.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 37.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce’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
| Acceptance rate | 98.1% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 600-680 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 595-680 |
| Enrollment | 3,874 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 80.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,545 |
PUCPR-Ponce admits 98.1% of applicants - effectively open access. The 49% completion rate is consistent with the open-access mission and limited financial support structures.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce (this school) | 10 | $13,192 | $24,908 |
| Caribbean University-Ponce | 17 | $4,964 | $22,842 |
| Universidad del Sagrado Corazon | 16 | $12,924 | $31,754 |
| Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo | 12 | $11,117 | $24,908 |
| Universidad Adventista de las Antillas | 11 | $9,919 | $28,465 |
| Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus | 9 | $7,761 | $24,328 |
Who Thrives Here
PUCPR-Ponce fits Puerto Rican Catholic students committed to staying on the island, particularly those drawn to teacher education, social work, or healthcare paths within local Spanish-language labor markets. With 80.6% Pell rate and 3,874 students, this is overwhelmingly a low-income institution. Students should view enrollment as a values choice within a constrained labor market; the financial argument as measured by mainland-wage Scorecard methodology will look weak by default. Bad fit for any student aiming for mainland US employment outcomes.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce scores 10/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $13,192 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $24,908 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 to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 48.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 45.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $15,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $17,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce: Common Questions
Is Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce scores 10/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $13,192 a year after aid against $24,908 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 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce 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 $13,192 a year, or roughly $52,768 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 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $24,908 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 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce?
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 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $15,500, against average earnings of $17,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce?
The six-year graduation rate is 48.6%. 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.