Public Graduate Good 68/100

Prairie View A & M University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Prairie View, Texas

About Prairie View A & M University

Thinking about Prairie View A & M University, a college in Texas where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Prairie View A & M University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Prairie View, Texas. It enrolls 8,877 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
79.3%
Graduation
38%
Net Price
$13,570
Median Earnings (10yr)
$45,411
Enrollment
8,877
Student : Faculty
16:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
68/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 33
Value 70
Affordability 87
Selectivity 25

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Prairie View A & M University admits 79.3% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
79.3%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
860 – 1080
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
16 – 21
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Required SAT or ACT scores must be submitted with the application.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Prairie View A & M University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↓ 4.8 pts since 2019
80.1%201976.4%202077%202176.1%202275.3%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $13,570 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$13,570
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
66%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
68%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$11,299
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$26,874
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,317
Room & Board (off-campus)
$8,872
Books & Supplies
$1,571
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,611
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,611
Total Cost of Attendance
$26,362

Application fee: $40 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $12,120
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $13,465
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $16,024
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $17,753
  • Over $110,000
    $16,376

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$3,500
10% percentile
$6,246
25% percentile
$27,000
Median percentile
$31,000
75% percentile
$43,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $18,600 ↓ $8,400
No Pell $12,500 ↓ $14,500
Dependent students $16,971 ↓ $10,029
Independent students $19,750 ↓ $7,250
Female students $16,750 ↓ $10,250
Male students $18,521 ↓ $8,479
Pell recipients: 18.0% (4,871 students)No Pell: 12.1% (3,274 students)Dependent students: 16.5% (4,445 students)Independent students: 19.2% (5,173 students)Female students: 16.2% (4,387 students)Male students: 18.0% (4,851 students)Overall Median$27,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,500, less than completers ($27,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

38% of students who start here finish within six years, and 75% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
38%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
75%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $45,411 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$45,411
Earning > $25K
69%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$35,000$38,000$41,000$44,000$47,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$39,700

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$41,800

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$39,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$39,800

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$45,500

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 25.0 pts across 6 years
42%1yr48.8%3yr58%5yr67%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 67% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 8,877 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 33% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
8,877
Part-Time
8%
First-Generation
33%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Black 84.3% 7,481
Hispanic 7.3% 647
Other 3.9% 344
International 1.5% 134
White 1.1% 100
Asian 0.7% 64
Black: 84.3% (7,481 students)Hispanic: 7.3% (647 students)Other: 3.9% (344 students)International: 1.5% (134 students)White: 1.1% (100 students)Asian: 0.7% (64 students)Total8,877

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Prairie View A & M University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Rural: Distant Prairie View, Texas
Housing
Mostly residential 4,808 beds on campus
Adult Learners
7% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Historically Black College / University (HBCU)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Prairie View A & M University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 58 distinct programs across 23 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

7 Programs
4 Programs
8 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
3 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$8,479
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$140M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$79,062
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

424 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 90 21% $114,243
Associate Professors 75 18% $89,984
Assistant Professors 101 24% $69,969
Instructors 1 0% $53,346
Lecturers 157 37% $61,683

Pros & Cons of Prairie View A & M University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Prairie View A & M University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Most students take on federal loans
Best for: Based on the data, Prairie View A & M University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Prairie View A & M University

The questions families ask most about Prairie View A & M University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Prairie View A & M University hard to get into?
Not especially. Prairie View A & M University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 79.3%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Prairie View A & M University?
79.3% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Prairie View A & M University?
Aim for 1080 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 860 and 1080 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Prairie View A & M University?
Aim for 21 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 16 and 21 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Prairie View A & M University cost?
Budget around $13,570 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Prairie View A & M University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $45,411 a year against a net price of $13,570, about 3.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Prairie View A & M University known for?
Mostly Nursing, Kinesiology, Health Sciences. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Prairie View A & M University graduates earn?
About $45,411 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Prairie View A & M University accredited?
Yes. Prairie View A & M University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Prairie View A & M University?
8,877 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Prairie View A & M University?
38% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Prairie View A & M University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Prairie View A & M University located?
Prairie View A & M University is located in Prairie View, Texas.
What programs does Prairie View A & M University offer?
58 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Kinesiology, Health Sciences. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Prairie View A & M University?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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