Research brief & institution hub

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

PRMedium public institution · Overall rank #346 nationally

Data snapshot September 27, 2026Updated October 1, 2026

Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo #346 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

The fit is clearest for a student who wants a public university in Puerto Rico and expects to work after the degree. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study, and the degree mix is led by Health Professions and Biological Sciences.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — and a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

Access is among the highest we track and affordability is among the highest we track. The admission rate sits below the median for comparable institutions, and University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo serves a student body where most undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

A student drawn to Nursing or the biological sciences should know that Nursing is both the largest program and the highest-earning one. The earnings picture overall is below the levels seen at many peers.

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate^[1]: 59.2%
Six-year completion^[2]: 52.0%
Four-year earnings^[3]: $30,977

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income^[6]: $12,065
Median student debt^[4]: $4,500
Median Parent PLUS debt^[7]: Not reported

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo rankings: how Azimuth assesses value^[5]

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo is a public university in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, enrolling 2,669 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the upper quarter of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (at the 76th percentile).

Its strongest are access and affordability. The university admits 59.2% of those who apply, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

First-year retention stands at 76.1%, against 73.7% at comparable institutions (same type and size). The six-year graduation rate is 52.0%, against a peer median of 49.1%.

An estimated 4.0% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the first-time, full-time cohort that the rate measures covers nearly the entire undergraduate body. The four pillars sit far apart.

Access is the strongest, at the 99th percentile, and affordability is close behind at the 98th percentile. Return is the weakest, at the 1st percentile, with mobility in the middle at the 61st percentile.

Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo on four pillars among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access is the strongest, at the 99th percentile, and affordability is close behind at the 98th percentile.

Mobility sits in the middle at the 61st percentile. Return is the weakest of the four, at the 1st percentile.

Pell Grants reach 89.0% of undergraduates at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo at #12 for access.

The share of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants shapes that standing; it measures how broadly the university reaches students who rely on federal grant aid to attend college. Few institutions among nonprofit four-year institutions rank higher on this pillar.

Azimuth places the university at #456 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,541 less than the model expects for similar students.

That earnings outcome coincides with a mobility standing distant from its access rank, with the two pillars sitting far apart.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo rankings in context
Geography	Rank
National	#346

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility: National percentile: 61

Access & reach: National percentile: 99

Affordability: National percentile: 98

Return on investment: National percentile: 1

Top-ranked majors

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology#19
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians#27
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology#40

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo briefing

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo cost & financial aid^[6]^[7]

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo lists a published cost of attendance of $17,710, with in-state tuition and fees of $5,354. For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships cover about 40% of that sticker price, bringing the average net price down to $10,680.

That is $3,388 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #27 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The net price is what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, and the savings against the published cost average $7,030. The affordability pillar sits at the 98th percentile.

The published cost of attendance is $17,710, and Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo #27 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,332.

For those earning $48,001 to $75,000, it is $12,065. For those earning $75,001 to $110,000, it is $12,960.

Aid covers about 40% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $10,680, which is $3,388 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $4,500 in federal student loans, $16,729 below the peer median of $21,229. About 5.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $51 a month if repaid over ten years. It estimates your cost and aid scenario.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$12,065

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo

Federal borrowing is rare at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo. Only 5.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and those who complete carry a median of $4,500 in federal student loan debt.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229. The university's median sits $16,729 below that figure.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $51 a month.

The return picture at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo is mixed: earnings land well below the peer median, but the debt load is unusually light. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $30,977, a figure at the 2nd percentile.

That is $26,324 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,541 less than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 49th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $23,942 on the downside to $47,440 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $30,977. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $4,500 in federal loans, $16,729 below the peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $51 a month if repaid over ten years.

For borrowers with the median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $51 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt: $4,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt: No federal loan data

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly: $51/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly: No federal loan data

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.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS

Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo briefing

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo career outcomes & earnings^[3]^[8]^[9]

Return is the weakest pillar for University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo, at the 1st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion are $30,977, in the 2nd percentile.

That is $26,324 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,541 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 49th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,867.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,408. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,752.

Graduates of University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo earn a median of $30,977 four years after completing a degree, measured among 668 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That median sits in the 2nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

This metric is the gap between what graduates actually earn and what the model expects for similar students. Graduates earn about $1,541 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from a downside of $23,942 to an upside of $47,440, with a typical scenario of $30,977. An estimated 30.4% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Federally aided graduates working and not enrolled earn a median of $30,977 four years after completion. That median is at the 2nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, against a peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo's median falls $26,324 below that benchmark, and Azimuth ranks it #1,452 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,541 less than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome falls at the 49th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,867.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,408. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,752.

The program mix centers on health professions, biological sciences and business as the main degree areas. Estimated from that mix, the downside earnings scenario is $23,942 and the upside is $47,440, figures that are not observed outcomes.

An estimated 30.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Earnings scenarios range from $23,942 on the downside to $47,440 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the program level, Nursing graduates report the highest median earnings four years after completion, at $38,478. Microbiological Sciences and Immunology follows at $37,027, and Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians at $36,328.

The financial picture at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo is defined by low costs and very low debt. The median federal student loan debt for borrowers who finish is $4,500, which is $16,729 below the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $51 a month if repaid over ten years. The published cost of attendance is $17,710, and aid covers about 40% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Graduates earn about $1,541 less than the model expects for similar students. The return pillar sits at the 1st percentile. The affordability pillar sits at the 98th percentile.

What explains value-added earnings?

Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.: +$5,867
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.: -$7,408
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.: -$1,541

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo?^[12]

The largest programs at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo show a tight earnings band, with most clustered in the mid-to-upper $30,000s four years after completion. Nursing leads in both size and pay, with 123 degrees awarded and median earnings of $38,478.

Azimuth ranks it #302 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Microbiological Sciences and Immunology is close behind, awarding 108 degrees and posting median earnings of $37,027.

Its national rank of #40 is not the strongest among the large programs here. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $36,328 from 52 degrees a year, and Azimuth ranks it #27 nationally.

A few programs sit at more moderate levels. Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians awards 69 degrees and its graduates earn $22,550, while Business Administration and Management graduates earn $30,948 from 42 degrees awarded.

The contrast is between a cluster of health and science programs with earnings in the upper $30,000s and a handful of fields where pay is lower.

The five largest programs at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo span health, sciences, and technology, and their earnings vary widely. Nursing is the largest, with 123 degrees awarded and median earnings of $38,478 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #302 nationally within its field. Microbiological Sciences and Immunology follows with 108 degrees awarded and median earnings of $37,027, earning a national rank of #40.

Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians awards 69 degrees, but its completers earn $22,550, the lowest among the largest programs. Two technology-oriented programs round out the top five.

Business Administration and Management awards 42 degrees and its completers earn $30,948.

The degree mix at University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo is concentrated in the sciences and health professions. Health Professions accounts for 23.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Biological Sciences close behind at 20.8%.

Business is the third-largest family at 16.9%. The university has 5 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 9 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Nursing, at 123 degrees awarded a year, followed by Microbiological Sciences and Immunology at 108 and Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians at 69. The highest-ranked program is Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology.

It awards 38 degrees a year, graduates earn a median of $25,528 four years after completion, and it ranks #2 in Puerto Rico within its field. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians also ranks well, at #27 nationally and #1 in Puerto Rico, with 52 degrees awarded and median earnings of $36,328.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, where graduates earn $38,478. The pattern is one of strength in a few applied science and health fields, with the highest-ranked and highest-earning programs concentrated in nursing, psychology and industrial technology. 32.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 123 degrees awarded: $38,478
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology 108 degrees awarded: $37,027
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians 69 degrees awarded: $22,550
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians 52 degrees awarded: $36,328
Business Administration, Management and Operations 42 degrees awarded: $30,948
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology 38 degrees awarded: $25,528

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo?^[15]

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 University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo.

Admissions peerUniversidad Central de Bayamon65.9% admitted

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Measure	University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo	Universidad Central de Bayamon
Peer earnings · 4 years	$30,977	$31,246+$269 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Average annual net price	$10,680	$4,827-$5,853 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo · lower cost
Admission rate	59.2%	65.9%

Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla81.4% admitted

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Measure	University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo	University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla
Peer earnings · 4 years	$30,977	$29,117-$1,860 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Average annual net price	$10,680	$7,765-$2,915 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo · lower cost
Admission rate	59.2%	81.4%

Explore University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla →

Nearby alternativeUniversidad Central de BayamonNearby option · PR

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Measure	University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo	Universidad Central de Bayamon
Peer earnings · 4 years	$30,977	$31,246+$269 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Average annual net price	$10,680	$4,827-$5,853 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo · lower cost
Admission rate	59.2%	65.9%

Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras$36,313 earnings

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Measure	University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo	University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Peer earnings · 4 years	$30,977	$36,313+$5,336 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Average annual net price	$10,680	$9,175-$1,505 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo · lower cost
Admission rate	59.2%	54.6%

Explore University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras →

Lower-cost alternativeUniversidad Central de Bayamon$4,827 average net price

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Measure	University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo	Universidad Central de Bayamon
Peer earnings · 4 years	$30,977	$31,246+$269 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Average annual net price	$10,680	$4,827-$5,853 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo · lower cost
Admission rate	59.2%	65.9%

Similar profileUniversity of Puerto Rico-HumacaoMatched across several measures

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Measure	University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo	University of Puerto Rico-Humacao
Peer earnings · 4 years	$30,977	$33,230+$2,253 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Average annual net price	$10,680	$12,675+$1,995 vs University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo · higher cost
Admission rate	59.2%	54.8%

Explore University of Puerto Rico-Humacao →

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.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026Governed hub narrative September 28, 2026Governed spoke corpus September 28, 2026

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.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

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.
Source fields: Azimuth rankings
College Azimuth · Ranking methodology
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 uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.
Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations
College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology
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.
Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios
College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology
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.
Source fields: Azimuth statistical model
College Azimuth · Value-added methodology
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.
Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG
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.
Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE
College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation
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
College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings