College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey

PRMedium public institution · Overall rank #326 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico at Cayey #326 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey is a public university in Cayey, Puerto Rico, where Psychology and Biological Sciences account for the largest shares of degrees. Affordability is among the highest we track, and access is among the highest we track.

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.

The price case is consistent across income bands. What families at the bottom of the income scale pay is close to what families at the top pay.

Both sit well below the published cost. Debt is below the median for comparable institutions.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning one, Chemistry, is not the largest.

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
53.0%
Six-year completion[2]
49.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$32,963

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$11,897
Median student debt[4]
$5,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
Not reported

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey is a public university in Cayey, Puerto Rico, enrolling 2,069 undergraduates. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, it sits in the upper quarter of the ranking (78th percentile).

Applicants are admitted at a rate of 53.0%, below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Once enrolled, 75.9% of full-time first-year students come back for a second year, a figure that sits above the 73.7% median at comparable institutions.

The six-year graduation rate for first-time full-time students is 49.8%; for comparable institutions the median is 49.1%. An estimated 4.4% of the student body arrives as transfers or part-time students, leaving the first-time full-time cohort as the clear majority.

At University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, the four sit far apart. Affordability is the strongest (98th percentile), with access close behind it (98th percentile).

Return is the weakest of the four (2nd percentile), while mobility sits in the middle of the field (61st percentile).

Affordability and access are the two pillars that carry the university's standing. Both are in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Mobility is in the 61st percentile. Return is the weakest pillar, at the 2nd percentile.

The shape is a public university where cost and access are strong, while earnings four years after completion sit well below the peer median.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores at University of Puerto Rico at Cayey fell between 843 and 1,073. 75.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico at Cayey #30 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #456 for mobility. Graduates earn about $3,147 less than the model expects for similar students.

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

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#326

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 61
Access & reach
National percentile: 98
Affordability
National percentile: 98
Return on investment
National percentile: 2

Top-ranked majors

  1. Psychology, Other#3
  2. Natural Sciences#4

This school’s two 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 at Cayey briefing

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey cost & financial aid[6][7]

The price picture at University of Puerto Rico at Cayey rests on a published cost of $15,909 and an average net price after aid of $10,176. Tuition and fees are set at $5,354 for in-state students and $5,354 for out-of-state students.

For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships reduce the published cost by $5,733. That aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

The after aid sits $3,892 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #24 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That places the affordability pillar in the 98th percentile. The sticker price, the aid discount and the peer gap all point toward lower costs for aid recipients.

The published cost of attendance is $15,909. Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico at Cayey #24 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 $9,495, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $11,897, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $13,433. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $3,938.

The average aid recipient sees $5,733 in savings against the published cost. In-state tuition and fees are $5,354.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $10,176, which is $3,892 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $5,000 in federal student loans.

That is $16,229 below the peer median of $21,229. Only 2.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $57 a month. It estimates a monthly payment based on your own borrowing scenario.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$11,897

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 at Cayey

Federal-loan borrowers who complete a degree at University of Puerto Rico at Cayey leave with a median of $5,000 in federal student debt. 2.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

That median is $16,229 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $57 a month.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates of University of Puerto Rico at Cayey who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $32,963. That figure is $24,338 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and sits at the 2nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,147 less than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 43rd percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $24,433 on the downside to $44,795 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $32,963.

Borrowers who complete carry a median of $5,000 in federal loans, $16,229 below the peer median, with an estimated monthly payment of $57.

For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $57 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
$5,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
No federal loan data

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$57/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 at Cayey briefing

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates of University of Puerto Rico at Cayey who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $32,963, in the 2nd percentile. That is $24,338 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 2nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,147 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 43rd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $896.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,043. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,297.

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey posts a median of $32,963 four years after completion, measured among 628 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That is $24,338 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university in the 2nd percentile for earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,147 less than the model expects for similar students. The gap sits at the 43rd percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from a downside of $24,433 to an upside of $44,795, with a typical scenario of $32,963. An estimated 42.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix, so the four-year earnings picture captures most but not all of the early-career outcomes.

Median earnings four years after completion are $32,963 for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, at the 2nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Against a peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size), the earnings gap is $24,338 below.

Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico at Cayey #1,432 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,147 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the earnings-beyond-expectations result at the 43rd 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 $896.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,043. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,297.

Degrees cluster in psychology, the biological sciences and interdisciplinary fields, with education, accounting and natural sciences also well represented at the bachelor's level. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $24,433 on the downside to $44,795 on the upside.

An estimated 42.9% of graduates continue on to graduate study after completing their degrees, based on the program mix.

The range between the downside and upside earnings scenarios is wide, from $24,433 to $44,795. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the upper end, Chemistry graduates earn a median of $50,128 four years after completion, from 28 degrees awarded. Natural Sciences follows at $42,313, with 82 degrees awarded. The largest program, Biology, reports median earnings of $41,763.

Graduates of University of Puerto Rico at Cayey earn about $3,147 less than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student loan debt for borrowers who finish is $5,000, which is $16,229 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $57 a month if repaid over ten years. For the lowest income band, the average net price is $9,495, and for the highest it is $13,433, a spread of $3,938.

The published cost of attendance is $15,909, and aid covers about 36% of that for the average aid recipient. The return picture is mixed: earnings sit below the peer median and below the model's expectation, but the debt load is a fraction of what peers carry.

A graduate's estimated monthly payment is low, and the net price stays within a narrow band across all income levels.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$896
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$4,043
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$3,147

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

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of Puerto Rico at Cayey briefing

University of Puerto Rico at Cayey acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

The University of Puerto Rico at Cayey admits 53.0% of applicants, well below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
53.0%
Approximate lower endpoint
843
Reported average
955
Approximate upper endpoint
1073

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.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Puerto Rico at Cayey briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Puerto Rico at Cayey?[12]

The largest programs at University of Puerto Rico at Cayey are concentrated in the sciences, and the earnings spread between the highest- and lowest-earning fields is substantial. Chemistry graduates earn a median of $50,128 four years after completion, from 28 degrees awarded.

At the other end, Psychology graduates earn $23,168 from 36 degrees awarded. Biology is the largest single program, with 86 degrees awarded and median earnings of $41,763.

Natural Sciences follows closely at 82 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #4 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. That program also holds the top spot in Puerto Rico.

Psychology is another large program, with 54 degrees awarded and median earnings of $25,313. Azimuth ranks it #3 nationally in its field, and first in Puerto Rico. Across all fields, 29.9% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

The university has 2 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and 11 programs with published earnings data. The degree mix is concentrated in two families: Psychology accounts for 21.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, and Biological Sciences for 20.5%.

The largest single program is Biology, at 86 degrees a year. Its completers earn a median of $41,763 four years after completion.

The highest-earning program is Chemistry, with median earnings of $50,128 from 28 degrees awarded. The best-ranked program is Psychology, which Azimuth ranks #3 nationally and #1 in Puerto Rico within its field.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 86 degrees awarded
$41,763
Natural Sciences 82 degrees awarded
$42,313
Psychology, Other 54 degrees awarded
$25,313
Accounting and Related Services 41 degrees awarded
$35,981
Psychology, General 36 degrees awarded
$23,168
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 34 degrees awarded
$35,474

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 at Cayey briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Puerto Rico at Cayey?[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 at Cayey.

Admissions peerUniversity of Puerto Rico-Carolina54.5% admitted
Comparison with University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
MeasureUniversity of Puerto Rico at CayeyUniversity of Puerto Rico-Carolina
Peer earnings · 4 years$32,963$28,995-$3,968 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Average annual net price$10,176$12,945+$2,769 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey · higher cost
Admission rate53.0%54.5%
Explore University of Puerto Rico-Carolina →
Higher-admission alternativeUniversidad Central de Bayamon65.9% admitted
Comparison with University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
MeasureUniversity of Puerto Rico at CayeyUniversidad Central de Bayamon
Peer earnings · 4 years$32,963$31,246-$1,717 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Average annual net price$10,176$4,827-$5,349 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey · lower cost
Admission rate53.0%65.9%
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Puerto Rico at PonceNearby option · PR
Comparison with University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
MeasureUniversity of Puerto Rico at CayeyUniversity of Puerto Rico at Ponce
Peer earnings · 4 years$32,963$29,384-$3,579 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Average annual net price$10,176$10,990+$814 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey · higher cost
Admission rate53.0%52.5%
Explore University of Puerto Rico at Ponce →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras$36,313 earnings
Comparison with University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
MeasureUniversity of Puerto Rico at CayeyUniversity of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Peer earnings · 4 years$32,963$36,313+$3,350 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Average annual net price$10,176$9,175-$1,001 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey · lower cost
Admission rate53.0%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 at Cayey
MeasureUniversity of Puerto Rico at CayeyUniversidad Central de Bayamon
Peer earnings · 4 years$32,963$31,246-$1,717 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Average annual net price$10,176$4,827-$5,349 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey · lower cost
Admission rate53.0%65.9%
Similar profileUniversity of Puerto Rico-HumacaoMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
MeasureUniversity of Puerto Rico at CayeyUniversity of Puerto Rico-Humacao
Peer earnings · 4 years$32,963$33,230+$267 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Average annual net price$10,176$12,675+$2,499 vs University of Puerto Rico at Cayey · higher cost
Admission rate53.0%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 Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

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.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. 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

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. 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

  15. 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