PONTIFICAL CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO

2250 Las Americas Ave., Ste. 564
Ponce, PR 00717-0777
Tel: (787)841-2000
Free: 800-981-5040
Fax: (787)840-4295
Web Site: http://www.pucpr.edu/

Description:

Independent Roman Catholic, university, coed. Awards associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and first professional degrees (branch locations in Arecibo, Guayana, Mayaguez). Founded 1948. Setting: 120-acre urban campus with easy access to San Juan. Endowment: $14.4 million. Research spending 2003-04: $18,064. Educational spending 2003-04: $3680 per student. Total enrollment: 7,548. Faculty: 234 (226 full-time, 8 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 27:1. 1,769 applied, 75% were admitted. Full-time: 4,779 students, 66% women, 34% men. Part-time: 738 students, 65% women, 35% men. 0% from out-of-commonwealth, 100% Hispanic, 0% international, 9% 25 or older, 4% live on campus, 3% transferred in. Retention: 79% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: business/marketing; education; health professions and related sciences. Core. Calendar: semesters. Academic remediation for entering students, ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, honors program, independent study, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs, graduate courses open to undergrads. Off campus study at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. ROTC: Army (c).

Entrance Requirements:

Options: early admission, deferred admission. Required: high school transcript, minimum 2.0 high school GPA, SAT. Required for some: essay, minimum 3.0 high school GPA, 1 recommendation, interview. Entrance: moderately difficult. Application deadline: 3/15. Notification: continuous.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $15. Comprehensive fee: $7918 includes full-time tuition ($4320), mandatory fees ($458), and college room and board ($3140). College room only: $1100. Full-time tuition and fees vary according to course load. Part-time tuition: $135 per credit. Part-time tuition varies according to course load.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 50 open to all; national fraternities, national sororities, local fraternities, local sororities; 1% of eligible men and 1% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: Accounting Students Club, Foreign Students Club, Christ Heralds. Major annual events: Peace Day, Educational Professional Development Convention, Puerto Rican Heritage Week. Student services: health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols. 180 college housing spaces available; 147 were occupied in 2003-04. No special consideration for freshman housing applicants. Options: men-only, women-only housing available. Encarnacion Valdes Library plus 1 other with 495,667 microform titles, 58,185 serials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $2.4 million. 419 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed from off-campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

Ponce is a metropolitan area. Mercedita Airport furnishes transportation to Mayaguez and San Juan. Bus transportation is available to all parts of the island. Community facilities include a public library, museums, churches of major denominations, hospitals, excellent shopping facilities and a number of the major civic, fraternal and service organizations. Part-time employment opportunities are limited. Carnival celebrations and Fiesta Patronales are special annual events.