Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
San Juan, Puerto Rico · Public · 78.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 32/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, a public institution in San Juan, scores 32 on the ROI index, placing it in Below Benchmark territory. The narrative here is unusual: tuition is genuinely low ($3,370 in-state, $7,260 net price) but average earnings six years after entry are only $19,000, rising marginally to a median $19,474 at 10 years. Earnings premium over a high-school baseline is -53.5%. That negative premium drives the algorithm to assign a 999-year payback period, which means earnings never recoup the cost of attendance on the model's assumptions. The saving graces are a 67% completion rate (good), a 47% debt-to-earnings ratio against modest median debt of $8,875, and a 70% three-year repayment rate. Enrollment is 307, Pell rate 62%, and the institution is the only conservatory-grade music school in the territory.
How Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music 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 Score32/100 - 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.
Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $3,370/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $3,850/yr |
| Average net price | $7,260/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $29,040 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $19,474 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $19,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $8,875 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $94 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 66.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 307 |
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: $3,370/year ($3,850/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 $7,260/year, or roughly $29,040 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 $7,144/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 $8,875, which works out to about $94 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($19,000) and comes to 0.47, 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 | $7,144 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $5,875 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $8,875 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | N/A |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
The $0-$30,000 bracket pays a net price of $7,144, and $30,001-$48,000 pays $5,875 - meaningful affordability for a music program. Even at $19,000 six-year average earnings, this lower price band keeps the cost-to-earnings ratio reasonable, particularly for students staying in PR's lower cost-of-living economy.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
$48,001-$75,000 households pay $8,875 - about $3,000 more than the $30-48K band but still affordable. Inverted bracket caveat: $30,001-$48,000 pays less than $0-$30,000, suggesting an aid-leveraging anomaly worth confirming with the financial aid office. Above $75,000, net prices are not reported.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price for $75,001-$110,000 and $110,001+ households is not reported in current Scorecard data. Given the institution's public mission and modest sticker price ($3,370 in-state), high-income families likely pay close to full sticker plus living costs, which is still reasonable in absolute terms against a $19,000 earnings figure.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Music | $29,940 | 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.
Music
Music is the sole reported program: 37 graduates, $5,005 median first-year earnings, $29,940 four-year earnings, $12,250 median debt, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 2.448, and an F ROI grade. The first-year figure reflects gig-economy and part-time arts work typical of early-career musicians; the four-year figure shows real recovery as graduates establish teaching, performance, or music-business income streams. The F grade is an artifact of the federal model's preference for clean salary trajectories - conservatory career paths rarely look like that, and graduates often value the credential for artistic and pedagogical reasons the algorithm does not measure.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 70.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 42.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 52.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music’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 | 78.3% |
| Enrollment | 307 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 61.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,014 |
Admission rate is reported at 78.4%, indicating relatively open access to anyone meeting audition and academic minimums. Standardized test scores are not reported. The high admit rate combined with a strong 67% completion rate suggests that the audition-based filter does the selectivity work, and students who clear that gate tend to follow through.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music (this school) | 32 | $7,260 | $19,474 |
| Dewey University-Hato Rey | 33 | $3,577 | $19,761 |
| University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras | 32 | $9,175 | $35,723 |
| Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico | 27 | $17,540 | $47,540 |
| Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Diseno de Puerto Rico | 21 | $5,669 | $21,790 |
| Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa | 17 | $6,440 | $21,410 |
Who Thrives Here
Fits Puerto Rico-resident music students pursuing performance, composition, or music education who plan to remain in the territory's arts ecosystem or use the credential as a pathway to mainland conservatory study. Enrollment of 307 keeps cohorts small, the 62% Pell rate signals an accessible institution for working-class families, and the 67% completion rate means students who enroll typically finish. The earnings ceiling reflects PR labor market reality, not poor instruction.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music scores 32/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $7,260 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $19,474 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, a three-year loan repayment rate of 70.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $8,875 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $19,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47, 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.
Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music: Common Questions
Is Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music scores 32/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $7,260 a year after aid against $19,474 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 Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music 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 $7,260 a year, or roughly $29,040 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 Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $19,474 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 Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music?
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 Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $8,875, against average earnings of $19,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47. 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 Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music?
The six-year graduation rate is 66.7%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (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.