Research brief & institution hub

University of Puerto Rico

PRMedium public institution · Overall rank #261 nationally

Data snapshot September 27, 2026Updated October 1, 2026

Azimuth ranks University of Puerto Rico #261 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Puerto Rico is a public university in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where Business and Biological Sciences account for the largest shares of degrees. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study.

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 published cost is low, and the spread between what the lowest and highest income bands pay is narrow.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are in engineering technology and accounting, not the biological sciences.

University of Puerto Rico at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate^[1]: 35.3%
Six-year completion^[2]: 37.1%
Four-year earnings^[3]: $35,322

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income^[6]: $11,088
Median student debt^[4]: $5,500
Median Parent PLUS debt^[7]: Not reported

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

University of Puerto Rico is a public university in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, enrolling 2,851 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (82nd percentile).

The university admits 35.3% of applicants, a rate well below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among first-year students studying full time, 77.8% return for a second year, against a peer median of 73.7%.

The six-year graduation rate for that cohort is 37.1%, compared to a peer median of 49.1%. An estimated 8.3% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation rate describes a minority of the student body.

The four sit far apart. Access and affordability are the strongest, both at the 99th and 99th percentiles respectively.

Return is the weakest, at the 1st percentile, with mobility in between at the 61st percentile.

University of Puerto Rico performs well on access and affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. It ranks at the 99th percentile for access and the 99th percentile for affordability.

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

The profile is that of a public university where cost and access are the clear strengths, while the earnings picture calls for a closer look at the program mix.

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

University of Puerto Rico rankings in context
Geography	Rank
National	#261

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: 99

Return on investment: National percentile: 1

Top-ranked majors

Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other#5
Special Education and Teaching#78
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#230

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 briefing

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

University of Puerto Rico charges all undergraduates exactly the same annual tuition and fees: $6,284 for both residents and nonresidents alike. The full published cost of attendance is $12,501 for the standard budget.

That total does not vary by state residency. The average net price here is what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships.

For the typical aided student at this university, that amount is $8,484. Aid covers about 32% of the published cost, an average offset of $4,017.

Against comparable institutions (same type and size), the runs $5,584 below the peer median of $14,068. Azimuth ranks the university #9 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at University of Puerto Rico is $12,501. Azimuth ranks the university #9 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 $7,035, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $11,088, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $11,101. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $4,066.

Aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $8,484, which is $5,584 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $5,500 in federal student loans. That is $15,729 below the peer median of $21,229.

Only 3.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. If repaid over ten years, that median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $63 a month. It estimates what you would pay, not what the averages show.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$11,088

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

Federal borrowing touches a small fraction of undergraduates at University of Puerto Rico: 3.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who borrow and complete, the median federal student debt is $5,500.

That median is $15,729 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $63 a month.

University of Puerto Rico graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $35,322 four years after completion. That places the median at the 3rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings here run $21,979 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). By the model's measure, they earn about $9,395 less than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome sits at the 21st percentile. Estimated from the program mix, earnings scenarios run from $29,045 on the downside to $57,664 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $35,322.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $5,500 in federal loans. That sits $15,729 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $63 a month.

For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $63 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: $5,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt: No federal loan data

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

Estimated student payment · monthly: $63/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 briefing

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

Earnings vary with the program a student chooses. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, run from $29,045 on the downside to $57,664 on the upside.

These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates. At the higher end, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates earn a median of $46,550 four years after completion, from 21 degrees awarded. Accounting follows at $43,129, with 42 degrees awarded.

University of Puerto Rico posts a median of $35,322 for federally aided graduates four years after completion, drawn from an earnings cohort of 656. That figure sits $21,979 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university in the 3rd percentile for this measure among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,395 less than the model expects for similar students.

The gap lands at the 21st percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a downside of $29,045, a typical figure of $35,322, and an upside of $57,664.

An estimated 33.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completion is $35,322 at University of Puerto Rico, at the 3rd percentile. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $57,301, leaving the university $21,979 below.

For return, Azimuth places the university at #1,453 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,395 less than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome sits at the 21st 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 $5,003.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain on its own subtracts $14,398. Within the measured factors, the STEM component alone adds $6,172.

The program mix is weighted heavily toward business, biological sciences and education, and STEM fields account for a large share of all degrees awarded. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $29,045 on the downside to $57,664 on the upside.

An estimated 33.5% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Graduates earn about $9,395 less than the model expects for similar students, but the cost side tells a different story for University of Puerto Rico. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $8,484.

That figure is $5,584 below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $5,500 in federal student loans.

That is $15,729 below the peer median of $21,229, and corresponds to an estimated payment of $63 a month if repaid over ten years. Aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, though this is an average rather than a personal quote. The spread between the lowest and highest income-band net prices is $4,066.

What explains value-added earnings?

Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.: +$5,003
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.: -$14,398
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.: -$9,395

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 briefing

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

The highest earnings at University of Puerto Rico come from programs that award fewer degrees than the largest fields. Accounting graduates earn a median of $43,129 four years after completion, from 42 degrees awarded a year.

Azimuth ranks it #277 nationally in its field, and #2 in Puerto Rico. Biological and Biomedical Sciences is the largest program, with 58 degrees awarded and median earnings of $37,097.

Azimuth ranks it #5 nationally and #1 in Puerto Rico. At the more moderate end, Teacher Education awards 38 degrees with median earnings of $28,845.

Azimuth ranks it #230 nationally and #1 in Puerto Rico. The earnings spread between the highest- and moderate-earning programs is substantial, and the fields that pay best are not the ones awarding the most degrees.

University of Puerto Rico awards degrees across 5 ranked programs, with 10 fields reporting earnings data. The program mix is concentrated in three families: Business accounts for 38.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Biological Sciences at 28.3% and Education at 20.4%.

The largest single program is Biological and Biomedical Sciences, at 58 degrees awarded and median earnings of $37,097 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #5 within its field nationally and #1 in Puerto Rico.

The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $46,550 four years out, from 21 degrees awarded. Accounting follows at $43,129, with 42 degrees awarded and a national rank of #277 in its field.

The best nationally ranked program is Biological and Biomedical Sciences, at #5 nationally and #1 in Puerto Rico.

University of Puerto Rico awards most of its bachelor's degrees in three families: Business at 38.4%, Biological Sciences at 28.3%, and Education at 20.4%. The university has 5 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 10 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Biological and Biomedical Sciences, at 58 degrees awarded a year, followed by Biology at 43 and Accounting at 42. The highest-ranked program is Biological and Biomedical Sciences, which is also the largest.

Its graduates earn a median of $37,097 four years after completion, and Azimuth ranks it #1 in Puerto Rico within its field. Special Education and Teaching is another strong performer, ranking #78 nationally and #1 in Puerto Rico within its field, from 35 degrees a year.

The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates report a median of $46,550, from 21 degrees awarded. The pattern here is one of concentrated strength in the sciences and education, with the top-ranked program also the largest.

47.3% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields. The highest earnings come from a technical program that graduates relatively few degrees a year, while the largest programs in business and biology sit at lower earnings levels.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields

Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other 58 degrees awarded: $37,097
Biology, General 43 degrees awarded: $29,279
Accounting and Related Services 42 degrees awarded: $43,129
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 38 degrees awarded: $28,845
Special Education and Teaching 35 degrees awarded: $32,294
Marketing 35 degrees awarded: $31,911

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 briefing

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

Admissions peerOhio Christian University38.0% admitted

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico
Measure	University of Puerto Rico	Ohio Christian University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$35,322	$49,508+$14,186 vs University of Puerto Rico
Average annual net price	$8,484	$20,607+$12,123 vs University of Puerto Rico · higher cost
Admission rate	35.3%	38.0%

Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras54.6% admitted

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico
Measure	University of Puerto Rico	University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Peer earnings · 4 years	$35,322	$36,313+$991 vs University of Puerto Rico
Average annual net price	$8,484	$9,175+$691 vs University of Puerto Rico · higher cost
Admission rate	35.3%	54.6%

Explore University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras →

Nearby alternativeUniversity of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasNearby option · PR

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico
Measure	University of Puerto Rico	University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Peer earnings · 4 years	$35,322	$36,313+$991 vs University of Puerto Rico
Average annual net price	$8,484	$9,175+$691 vs University of Puerto Rico · higher cost
Admission rate	35.3%	54.6%

Explore University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras →

Higher-earnings alternativeNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology$85,232 earnings

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico
Measure	University of Puerto Rico	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years	$35,322	$85,232+$49,910 vs University of Puerto Rico
Average annual net price	$8,484	$9,873+$1,389 vs University of Puerto Rico · higher cost
Admission rate	35.3%	44.5%

Explore New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology →

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

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico
Measure	University of Puerto Rico	Universidad Central de Bayamon
Peer earnings · 4 years	$35,322	$31,246-$4,076 vs University of Puerto Rico
Average annual net price	$8,484	$4,827-$3,657 vs University of Puerto Rico · lower cost
Admission rate	35.3%	65.9%

Similar profileUniversity of Puerto Rico-HumacaoMatched across several measures

Comparison with University of Puerto Rico
Measure	University of Puerto Rico	University of Puerto Rico-Humacao
Peer earnings · 4 years	$35,322	$33,230-$2,092 vs University of Puerto Rico
Average annual net price	$8,484	$12,675+$4,191 vs University of Puerto Rico · higher cost
Admission rate	35.3%	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