More selective than 57% of Texas colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $26,362. College Scorecard.
Higher than 47% of Texas colleges we cover and 30% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 32% of Texas colleges we cover and 27% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
PVAMU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,777 applicants, Prairie View A & M University admitted 6,609 and 2,112 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 860–1080 on the SAT or 16–21 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
PVAMU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Texas residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Texas residents with financial need may receive a TEXAS Grant at Texas public universities; amounts are set each year and vary by college. Not included in the prices above. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (College for All Texans)
What PVAMU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Prairie View A & M University took 4.7 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Texas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,120 | $56,964 | 4.8 years |
| $30–48k | $13,465 | $63,286 | 5.3 years |
| $48–75k | $16,024 | $75,313 | 6.3 years |
| $75–110k | $17,753 | $83,439 | 7.0 years |
| $110k+ | $16,376 | $76,967 | 6.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.7 years, the average time graduates took (19% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($45,411) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TX (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,895 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
PVAMU majors, earnings & careers
Prairie View A & M University offers 37 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Engineering · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Business & Finance · 5
- Science & Math · 5
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Humanities & Languages · 4
- Arts & Design · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Education · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at PVAMU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | $115,939 | $28,081 |
| Chemical Engineering | $92,591 | $33,000 |
| Nursing | $91,910 | $27,392 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $88,708 | $31,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $84,082 | — |
| Management Information Systems | $78,757 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $75,631 | $28,064 |
| Accounting | $67,964 | $29,061 |
Quick list of all 37 majors
- Accounting$67,964
- Agriculture$49,403
- Architecture$62,540
- Biology$51,499
- Business Administration$53,715
- Chemical Engineering$92,591
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$84,082
- Communications$48,887
- Computer and Information Sciences$75,631
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$64,359
- Criminal Justice$47,743
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Electrical Engineering$115,939
- English—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Finance—
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Sciences$50,657
- History—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$46,693
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems$78,757
- Marketing$58,810
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$88,708
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$57,212
- Music—
- Nursing$91,910
- Physics—
- Political Science$41,831
- Psychology$44,240
- Social Work$45,742
- Sociology—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Houston
Overall prices in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,497. Housing costs 5% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Waller County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Waller County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare PVAMU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Texas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View A & M University | 79% | $13,570 | 43% | $45,411 | This school |
| Lamar University | 86% | $9,366 | 37% | $49,652 | |
| Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi | 89% | $15,225 | 40% | $51,865 | |
| Angelo State University | 83% | $15,091 | 44% | $50,116 | |
| East Texas A&M University | 92% | $11,841 | 43% | $50,296 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Prairie View A & M University would cost you $4,204 more per year than Lamar University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Prairie View A & M University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$2,394).
- Lamar University gives aided families $96 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Texas resident | PVAMU | Lamar University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $11,299 | $8,905 | +$2,394 |
| Books & supplies | $1,571 | $1,250 | +$321 |
| Housing & meals | $10,317 | $10,272 | +$45 |
| Personal & travel | $4,611 | $5,090 | −$479 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,436 | −$3,263 | +$1,827 |
| Sticker price | $26,362 | $22,254 | +$4,108 |
| Average grants | −$12,792 | −$12,888 | +$96 |
| You pay | $13,570 | $9,366 | +$4,204 |
“+” means PVAMU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about PVAMU
What is the PVAMU acceptance rate?
Prairie View A & M University accepts 79% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 6,609 of 8,777 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 860–1080 on the SAT or 16–21 on the ACT.
How much does Prairie View A & M University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $26,362 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $13,570 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $12,120 and families earning $110k+ pay $16,376.
How much do PVAMU graduates earn?
Former Prairie View A & M University students earn a median $45,411 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the PVAMU graduation rate?
43% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 76% return for their second year.
How long does a PVAMU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Prairie View A & M University costs about $75,313 after grants ($16,024 a year for 4.7 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $45,411 ten years after starting, $11,895 more than high school graduates in Texas ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 6.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Prairie View A & M University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/prairie-view-a-and-m-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).