🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $12,945/yr.

✅ Best for

  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting (the two biggest majors)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 785 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
Admit rate
52.7%
Moderately selective
SAT middle 50%
785–1019
EBRW + Math composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At University of Puerto Rico-Carolina, the average net price is $12,945/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$12,287/yr
Family income $30-48k
$13,001/yr
Family income $48-75k
$15,267/yr
Family income $75-110k
$16,900/yr
Family income $110k+
$18,229/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use University of Puerto Rico-Carolina's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from University of Puerto Rico-Carolina →

Opens on University of Puerto Rico-Carolina's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at University of Puerto Rico-Carolina

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of Puerto Rico-Carolina actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
100 degrees · 34.5%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
86 degrees · 29.7%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.
3. Psychology
64 degrees · 22.1%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Communications Technologies
24 degrees · 8.3%
Typical career outcomes
Broadcast Technician $56k Sound Engineering Technician $59k Audio / Video Equipment Tech $51k
Broadcast tech, sound engineering, AV production.
5. Visual & Performing Arts
16 degrees · 5.5%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at University of Puerto Rico-Carolina

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Hospitality Administration/Management. Bachelor's Degree 59 $36,742
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 78 $32,928
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. Bachelor's Degree 86 $26,214
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 31 $22,039
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 29 $21,492
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. Bachelor's Degree 15 $18,739

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of Puerto Rico-Carolina vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to University of Puerto Rico-Carolina

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that University of Puerto Rico-Carolina doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
Alabama State University
AL · Public
3 auto-merit scholarships on file
Texas State University
TX · Public
3 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than University of Puerto Rico-Carolina.
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($11,284 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($8,233 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($7,636 less)
Texas A & M International University
TX · Public
$10,697/yr for $110k+ families ($7,532 less)
East Central University
OK · Public
$10,702/yr for $110k+ families ($7,527 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
PR · Public
96% admit rate (vs 53% here)
University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla
PR · Public
82% admit rate (vs 53% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit University of Puerto Rico-Carolina into your overall strategy:

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