Universidad Central de Bayamon
Bayamón, Puerto Rico · Private Nonprofit · 65.9% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 20/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Universidad Central de Bayamon scores 20 on the CampusROI scale and lands in the Below Benchmark tier. The 999-year payback figure is the key signal: average six-year earnings of $18,900 fall below the local high-school-graduate baseline, which produces a negative earnings premium of -0.517 and means the typical graduate's lifetime earnings never recoup the cost of attendance. The cost side is genuinely cheap. In-state tuition is $5,986, net price is $4,827, and total four-year cost runs roughly $19,308. Median debt is correspondingly low at $9,393 and debt-to-earnings comes in at 0.497, the only relatively strong sub-score (73). This is a low-cost, low-completion, low-earnings institution where the affordability is real but the credential's market value is essentially nil.
How Universidad Central de Bayamon 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 Score20/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate34.4% - 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.
Universidad Central de Bayamon
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $5,986/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $5,986/yr |
| Average net price | $4,827/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $19,308 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $25,021 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $18,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $9,393 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $100 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 34.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 539 |
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: $5,986/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $4,827/year, or roughly $19,308 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 $3,827/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 $9,393, which works out to about $100 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($18,900) and comes to 0.50, 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 | $3,827 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $4,662 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $8,323 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $7,729 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $3,827 net per year, about $15,308 over four years. This is roughly fully covered by Pell for eligible students, and given the 78% Pell rate, this is the dominant case. The credential is essentially debt-free for the lowest bracket, which makes the school defensible even at the 999-year payback figure: a near-zero-cost credential carries near-zero downside.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets show an inverted pattern that should be flagged: $48,001-75,000 households pay $8,323, while $75,001-110,000 households pay $7,729 - the higher-income bracket pays less than the lower one. This is likely a data artifact from small sample sizes at this enrollment level, but the brackets are technically inverted and should not be taken as smooth aid scaling. Four-year cost in either band runs $31,000-$33,000.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $110,001+ bracket reports no net price data, likely because too few high-income families enroll to produce a reliable figure (Pell is 78%, suggesting the top bracket is a sliver of the class).
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Universidad Central de Bayamon with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $29,505 | D |
| Psychology | $18,428 | - |
| Teacher Education | $32,112 | - |
| Accounting | $39,918 | - |
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 the only program with full ROI data: 30 graduates with $12,591 first-year earnings, $29,505 by year four, $12,125 of debt, and a 0.963 debt-to-earnings ratio for a D grade. The first-year earnings number is shockingly low and reflects Puerto Rico nursing wages; mainland licensure transfer would substantially improve the picture but is not captured in Scorecard data. For students planning to work stateside, this credential is meaningfully more valuable than the file suggests.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 46.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 51.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 46.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 46.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Universidad Central de Bayamon’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 | 65.9% |
| Enrollment | 539 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 78.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $2,861 |
SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported. A 66% admit rate combined with a 34% completion rate signals the standard pattern for the island: enrollment is accessible but retention is constrained by economic and family circumstances rather than academic screening.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universidad Central de Bayamon (this school) | 20 | $4,827 | $25,021 |
| University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla | 21 | $7,765 | $27,997 |
| Universidad Teologica del Caribe | 20 | $9,045 | $23,536 |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo | 20 | $9,230 | $23,132 |
| Caribbean University-Vega Baja | 20 | $5,235 | $22,842 |
| University of Puerto Rico at Ponce | 19 | $10,990 | $31,394 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment is very small at 539, and the Pell rate is 78.4%. This is overwhelmingly a low-income, Spanish-speaking Catholic college serving the local Bayamón community. The realistic value proposition is not earnings premium but credentialing for specific roles (teaching, nursing, accounting) within the Puerto Rico labor market. Students who plan to relocate to mainland US for work may capture the wage gap; students who stay on the island face the earnings ceiling reflected in the data.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Universidad Central de Bayamon scores 20/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $4,827 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $25,021 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 34.4% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 51.6% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $9,393 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $18,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.50, 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.
Universidad Central de Bayamon: Common Questions
Is Universidad Central de Bayamon worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Universidad Central de Bayamon scores 20/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $4,827 a year after aid against $25,021 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 Universidad Central de Bayamon 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 $4,827 a year, or roughly $19,308 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 Universidad Central de Bayamon graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $25,021 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 Universidad Central de Bayamon?
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 Universidad Central de Bayamon. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Universidad Central de Bayamon graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $9,393, against average earnings of $18,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.50. 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 Universidad Central de Bayamon?
The six-year graduation rate is 34.4%. 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.