Cayey
Cayey's 1967 university on a former army camp now ranks top 10 for Hispanic physical science doctorates—79% Pell Grant recipients test whether mountain-town education survives Puerto Rico's demographic pressures.
Cayey exists because the central mountain range of Puerto Rico needed a gateway—and because an abandoned military installation offered land for a university. The municipality sits in the Sierra de Cayey, 45 minutes from both San Juan and Ponce, surrounded by mountains and rivers. When the University of Puerto Rico system sought to extend higher education beyond its main campuses in the 1960s, this former army camp became the site of a new regional college.
The university's formation transformed the municipality. Founded in 1967 on the grounds of the old military camp, the institution became a university college in 1969 and gained autonomy on April 2, 1982. Today, the 145-acre campus hosts 2,218 undergraduates at a 19:1 student-faculty ratio, making it a small but significant academic community. The university operates on a budget of $28.5 million, with 71% devoted to payroll—reflecting the labor-intensive nature of education.
The institution has developed distinctive strengths. In the field of physical and earth sciences, UPR Cayey ranks in the top 10 among baccalaureate-origin institutions for Hispanic or Latino doctorate recipients—a pipeline that shapes the demographics of American science. Close to 50% of the 2022-23 graduating class came from sciences; 32% of the 2023 class were admitted to graduate school, with 29% of those entering medical school or health-related fields.
Present-day Cayey (population 48,119) operates as an educational enclave within a small mountain town. US News ranks the university #151 among National Liberal Arts Colleges and #13 among Top Public Schools. Seventy-nine percent of students receive Pell Grants, indicating that the institution serves economically disadvantaged populations. Tuition remains remarkably affordable at $5,324 annually regardless of residency status.
By 2026, Cayey will test whether a small liberal arts campus in the mountains can continue producing scientists for a mainland that needs them. The university's Strategic Plan 2025-2030 charts the path; whether Puerto Rico's demographic and economic pressures allow that path remains uncertain.