Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, Texas · Public · 79.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 27/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Prairie View A&M, an HBCU and land-grant institution about an hour northwest of Houston, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 27/100. The composite is dragged down by a 43.2% completion rate, a 0.787 debt-to-earnings ratio, an 18.7-year payback period, and a weak 48.8% three-year repayment rate. In-state tuition is $11,299 and the average net price is $13,570, for a four-year total of roughly $54,280. Average earnings six years after entry are $34,300, rising to a median $45,411 by year ten, with median federal debt of $27,000 generating about $286 in monthly payments. The earnings picture is bimodal: Engineering, Nursing, and Computer Science graduates clear $75K-$115K, while the larger cohorts in Kinesiology, Psychology, Biology, and Health Services land in the $25K-$32K range early on. That mix produces the headline ROI deficit, but the school-wide number masks several genuinely strong programs.
How Prairie View A & M 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 Score27/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period18.7 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Prairie View A & M University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $11,299/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $26,874/yr |
| Average net price | $13,570/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $54,280 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,411 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 18.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 43.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 8,877 |
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: $11,299/year ($26,874/year out-of-state), 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 $13,570/year, or roughly $54,280 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 $12,120/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $16,376/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($34,300) and comes to 0.79, 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 | $12,120 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $13,465 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $16,024 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $17,753 |
| $110,001+ | $16,376 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $12,120 net per year, and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $13,465. Pell and Texas state aid help, but four-year out-of-pocket of nearly $50,000 is steep given the school's $34,300 six-year average earnings. The math only works if the student finishes and lands in a higher-paying program.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $16,024 and $75,001-$110,000 pays $17,753.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $16,376, which is curiously lower than the $75,001-$110,000 bracket. This is an inverted bracket, likely reflecting Scorecard sample-size noise rather than a real merit-aid pattern. Full-pay families should use the net price calculator directly because the published figure may not predict their actual offer.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Prairie View A & M University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $91,910 | B+ |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $46,693 | F |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $50,657 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $53,715 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $47,743 | D |
| Psychology | $44,240 | F |
| Biology | $51,499 | F |
| Agriculture, General | $49,403 | D |
| Communication and Media Studies | $48,887 | F |
| Mechanical Engineering | $88,708 | C+ |
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.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is Prairie View's largest strong-ROI program: 119 graduates, $83,218 in first-year earnings rising to $91,910 by year four, B+ ROI grade, and a 0.329 debt-to-earnings ratio. The school's Northwest Houston Nursing Center pipeline into Texas Medical Center hospitals is direct. This is the program that drags the school's overall earnings number up.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology is the school's largest cohort by graduates (117) but produces an F ROI grade: first-year earnings of just $25,594, debt of $28,621, and a 1.118 debt-to-earnings ratio. Career paths typically require a master's in physical therapy or occupational therapy to reach competitive earnings, and most graduates do not pursue that path.
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General
Health Sciences (108 grads) earns a D ROI grade. First-year earnings of $32,266, $29,457 of median debt, and a 0.913 debt-to-earnings ratio define a tight margin. The pre-health pipeline only pays off if students continue to graduate or professional school in nursing, PA, or medicine.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration (105 grads) lands a D ROI grade with first-year earnings of $38,662 and a 0.802 debt-to-earnings ratio. The Houston metro should support higher placement; persistence and major selection within business appear to be the constraints.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice (104 grads) posts a D ROI grade. First-year earnings of $31,823 against $26,750 of debt yield a 0.841 ratio. Texas law enforcement and corrections employers do hire these grads steadily, but wage trajectories are flat without additional credentials or federal-agency hiring.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 42.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 48.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 35.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 45.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Prairie View A & M 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
| Acceptance rate | 79.3% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 410-530 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 450-550 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 16-21 |
| Enrollment | 8,877 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 65.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $9,530 |
Prairie View admits 79.3% of applicants, sitting in the accessible-public-HBCU band. SAT mid-ranges run 410-530 math and 450-550 reading; ACT composite mid-range is 16-21. Those scores reflect a wide academic band, and the 43.2% completion rate confirms that under-prepared admits struggle to persist. Students arriving with stronger high-school records or focused engineering and nursing intent see materially better outcomes than the campus average.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View A & M University (this school) | 27 | $13,570 | $45,411 |
| Morehouse College | 29 | $39,013 | $52,889 |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 28 | $13,739 | $44,349 |
| Winston-Salem State University | 27 | $13,479 | $45,344 |
| Tuskegee University | 26 | $35,013 | $49,641 |
| Edward Waters University | 15 | $13,649 | $34,782 |
Who Thrives Here
Pell rate of 65.6% and enrollment of 8,877 mark this as a large access-mission HBCU with substantial low-income student presence. Prairie View fits Texas students seeking an affordable HBCU experience with strong STEM and Nursing pipelines and tight ties to Texas industry, particularly oil/gas and aerospace employers who actively recruit Engineering grads. Students entering with declared majors in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Nursing capture nearly all of the school's ROI upside.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Prairie View A & M University scores 27/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $13,570 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,411 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 18.7 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 43.2% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 48.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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.
Prairie View A & M University: Common Questions
Is Prairie View A & M University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Prairie View A & M University scores 27/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $13,570 a year after aid against $45,411 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 18.7 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Prairie View A & M 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 $13,570 a year, or roughly $54,280 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 Prairie View A & M University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,411 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,611 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Prairie View A & M 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 about 18.7 years for Prairie View A & M University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Prairie View A & M University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $34,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. 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 Prairie View A & M University?
The six-year graduation rate is 43.2%. 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.