TX · Medium public institution · Overall rank #115 nationally
Data snapshot · Updated
Azimuth ranks Prairie View A & M University #115 among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Who it’s a good fit for
Prairie View A & M University is a public university in Prairie View, Texas, where the degree mix is led by Business, Health Professions, and Engineering. Access is among the highest we track, and mobility is among the highest we track.
Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes more of that to a remainder it does not explain than to the factors it measures. Return is above average.
Pell recipients complete below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and the net price for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost. Affordability is above average.
The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study. A student drawn to the largest departments should know that the best-paid programs are in engineering and nursing.
Prairie View A & M University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]
Prairie View A & M University is a public university in Prairie View, Texas, enrolling 8,877 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (92nd percentile).
Prairie View A & M University admits 79.3% of applicants, against a peer median—the middle value among comparable institutions of the same type and size—of 85.9%. Among first-time full-time students, 75.6% continue into a second year, compared with a peer median of 73.7%.
The six-year graduation rate is 43.2%, against a peer median of 49.1%. An estimated 21.9% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, meaning many students begin their college career elsewhere.
Access is the strongest and return is the weakest, with mobility close behind and affordability sitting between the two pairs. The spread from top to bottom is wide, so the composite combines very high access and mobility with more moderate return and affordability.
Access is the clearest strength at Prairie View A & M University, with Azimuth placing it in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility also stands high, in the 92nd percentile, while affordability reaches the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Return is the weakest pillar, though it remains in the 62nd percentile.
The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 860 and 1,080. For the ACT, the middle 50% of submitted scores fell between 16 and 21.
65.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks Prairie View A & M University #55 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Pell recipients complete at 36.9%, 6.3 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (43.2%). Azimuth ranks the university #114 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $11,702 more than the model expects for similar students.
Prairie View A & M University lists a published cost of attendance of $26,362. In-state tuition and fees are $11,299, and room and board adds $10,317.
Out-of-state students pay $26,874 in tuition and fees. For aid recipients, the average net price—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $13,570.
That is $498 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). On average, financial aid offsets $12,792 of the published cost.
Azimuth ranks the university #482 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The published cost of attendance is $26,362, and aid-recipient costs differ across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,120 in the lowest-income family band; $13,465 in the lower-middle band; $16,024 in the middle band; $17,753 in the upper-middle band; and $16,376 in the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $4,256. Azimuth ranks Prairie View A & M University #482 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 49% of the published cost, an average savings of $12,792 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the is $13,570.
That figure is $498 below the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published in-state tuition is $11,299, compared with $26,874 for out-of-state tuition.
The average net price sits below the comparable-institution median, though published tuition differs by residency. Federal student loan borrowers who completed had median debt of $27,000, and 86.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
The peer median debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, making the university's median $5,771 above that benchmark. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parent PLUS borrowers had median borrowing of $16,012.
Your family income
Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.
Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$16,024
After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.
Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.
Borrowing and repayment at Prairie View A & M University
Federal borrowing is widespread at Prairie View A & M University, so the debt figures matter for many undergraduates rather than a small borrower group. 86.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the reported amounts cover borrowers who complete.
Among completers with federal loans, median federal student loan debt at completion is $27,000. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $21,229, placing the university's median above that benchmark by $5,771.
For the separate population of Parent PLUS borrowers, median borrowing is $16,012.
Prairie View A & M University pairs earnings above the model’s expectations with borrowing that runs higher than its peer benchmark. Median earnings reach $60,602 four years after completion, in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. Those results are favorable: Graduates earn about $11,702 more than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places that measure in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios range from $45,259 in a downside case to $88,798 in an upside case, with $60,602 as the typical scenario.
Median federal student debt at completion is $27,000, $5,771 above the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Above-expected earnings and higher peer-relative debt pull the investment picture in different directions.
Parent borrowers are a separate federal borrowing population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $16,012. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
Estimated student payment · monthly
$307/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$203/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Prairie View A & M University has a return picture that sits above its peer benchmark and modeled expectation. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $11,702 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth puts that earnings-beyond-expectations measure in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,853. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $8,849.
Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,095. The median earnings figure is $60,602 four years after completion, in the 53rd percentile nationally.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301. The university is above that figure by $3,301.
Above-peer earnings and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.
Prairie View A & M University centers on median earnings of $60,602 four years after completion. This is based on an earnings cohort of 1,380 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled.
Azimuth places that median in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. This is a school-level midpoint, rather than a prediction for every graduate.
Earnings scenarios anchored in the program mix place a typical outcome at $60,602, with a downside scenario of $45,259 and an upside scenario of $88,798; these are scenarios, not observed groups. An estimated 26.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.
At $60,602, median earnings four years after completion at Prairie View A & M University fall in the 53rd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; the university's figure is $3,301 above it.
Graduates earn about $11,702 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, stand in the 86th percentile.
The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,853. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $8,849.
Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,095. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $45,259 on the downside to $88,798 on the upside.
Azimuth places the return pillar in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, alongside above-peer earnings and higher-than-expected earnings. Kinesiology and Physical Education is the largest program, with 146 degrees awarded and median earnings of $46,693 four years after completion.
Azimuth ranks it #192 nationally within its field. Electrical Engineering has the highest listed earnings, at $115,939 after 25 degrees awarded, or 1.15x of the national median for its field.
Nursing adds 107 degrees awarded, $91,910 in median earnings, and an Azimuth national rank of #148 within its field. The largest program's lower earnings sit beside higher-earning engineering and nursing options.
Earnings can differ widely by field at Prairie View A & M University, with earnings scenarios running from $45,259 to $88,798 four years after completion. These are scenarios based on the program mix, rather than observed groups.
Among programs with published earnings, Electrical Engineering has median earnings of $115,939, Chemical Engineering has $92,591, and Nursing has $91,910, all four years after completion. The university has 22 programs with earnings data, so a chosen field matters to the range shown here.
At Prairie View A & M University, median federal student loan debt for borrowers who completed is above the $21,229 peer median by $5,771. The peer median is the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are favorable here. Graduates earn about $11,702 more than the model expects for similar students.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,570, which is below the peer median of $14,068 by $498.
Aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Net price, , and borrowing point in different directions.
What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$2,853
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$8,849
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$11,702
These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Admission at Prairie View A & M University is relatively open, with 79.3% of applicants admitted in the reported entering class. That rate is below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size), so admission was less common here than across that peer group.
Applicants should compare their academic record with the school’s submitted-score ranges and make sure each required application item is ready before applying. This rate summarizes the reported applicant pool rather than forecasting an individual decision.
SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
79.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
860
Reported average
980
Approximate upper endpoint
1080
Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.
Program choice matters particularly at Prairie View A & M University: Nursing reports median earnings of $91,910 four years after completion and 107 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks the program #148 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.
Moderate-earning large fields include Criminal Justice, with $47,743 in median earnings and 129 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #181 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Kinesiology and Physical Education posts $46,693 across 146 degrees awarded and ranks #192 nationally by Azimuth.
Psychology shows $44,240 and 121 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #298 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The contrast between the higher-earning nursing field and these moderate-earning fields makes the return picture depend heavily on field.
Prairie View A & M University awards bachelor's degrees across 22 fields with published earnings, and 18 of those programs carry an Azimuth national rank. The largest programs and the highest-earning programs are different fields.
Kinesiology and Physical Education is the largest program at 146 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks it #192 nationally in its field, and its graduates earn $46,693 four years after completion.
Nursing ranks #148 nationally in its field, with 107 degrees awarded and median earnings of $91,910 four years after completion. Agriculture ranks #23 nationally in its field, with 49 degrees awarded and median earnings of $49,403 four years after completion.
Electrical Engineering ranks #33 nationally in its field, with 25 degrees awarded and median earnings of $115,939.
The program mix at Prairie View A & M University is spread across several fields, with no single family dominating the degree count. Business accounts for 14.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed closely by Health Professions at 12.4% and Engineering at 11.8%.
The university has 18 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 22 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single programs are Kinesiology and Physical Education at 146 degrees awarded, Criminal Justice at 129, and Psychology at 121.
The highest-ranked program, Agriculture, awards 49 degrees a year and reports median earnings of $49,403 four years after completion, ranking #7 in Texas within its field. Electrical Engineering awards 25 degrees a year and a median of $115,939.
The highest-earning program is Electrical Engineering. Completers earn a median of $115,939 four years after completion from 25 degrees awarded.
That is a benchmark ratio of 1.15x against the national median for its field. Nursing, which is also the fourth-largest program, reports median earnings of $91,910 from 107 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #148 nationally and #16 in Texas within its field.
The pattern here is one of breadth rather than concentration. The largest programs are not the highest-earning ones.
The strongest national ranks belong to programs outside the top three by size. Electrical Engineering and Chemical Engineering post the highest earnings but award fewer degrees combined than Kinesiology and Physical Education alone.
22.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, and the engineering programs that dominate the earnings list sit alongside large health and social-science programs that shape the university's overall profile.
Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 146 degrees awarded
$46,693
Criminal Justice and Corrections 129 degrees awarded
$47,743
Psychology, General 121 degrees awarded
$44,240
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 107 degrees awarded
$91,910
Business Administration, Management and Operations 100 degrees awarded
$53,715
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 70 degrees awarded
$50,657
Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.
How does Prairie View A & M University serve students from different backgrounds?
Mobility is another high point at Prairie View A & M University, combining a strong Azimuth standing with higher-than-expected earnings. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 43.2%, while Pell recipients complete at 36.9%, below the overall rate by 6.3 percentage points. Four years after completion, graduates earn about $11,702 more than the model expects for similar students.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sit in the 86th percentile nationally. The completion gap and higher-than-expected earnings point in different directions.
Access is the clearest strength at Prairie View A & M University, where a large share of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Azimuth places its access pillar in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The public university enrolls 8,877 undergraduates, admits 79.3% of applicants, and has an estimated 21.9% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group. Pell Grant recipients account for 65.6% of undergraduates, describing the financial-access profile alongside the enrollment mix.
Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.
A shortlist for different decisions
Choose a row to compare the figures with Prairie View A & M University.
Admissions peerNew Mexico State University-Main Campus89.0% admitted+
Comparison with Prairie View A & M University
Measure
Prairie View A & M University
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years
$60,602
$54,874-$5,728 vs Prairie View A & M University
Average annual net price
$13,570
$8,889-$4,681 vs Prairie View A & M University · lower cost
Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.
Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.
Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.
Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.
Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.
Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.
Source fields: C150_4
Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.
Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.
Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN
National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.
Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.
Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV
Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.
Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.
Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.
Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF
Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.
Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR