Higher Education in Puerto Rico

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, almost two years ago (September 2017) and most educational institutions were severely impacted. Many are still recovering. As those on the island look to rebuild, it is important potential allies on the mainland are more aware of the enrollment and completion, funding patterns, and future challenges of higher education in Puerto Rico.

Learn the facts

Download the Higher Education in Puerto Rico fact sheet 

Learn more about Latino College Completion in Puerto Rico

Support

To support colleges and universities in Puerto Rico dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Maria, Excelencia dedicated a session during the 2018 Accelerating Latino Student Success (ALASS) Institute and joined forces with Margarita Benitez, Executive Director of the Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades.

The Importance of Colleges and Universities in Puerto Rico

Highlights from the 2018 ALASS Institute

Hear from Leaders in Higher Education about Puerto Rico

Watch Videos

Margarita Benitez, Executive Director, Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades /Puerto Rican Endowment for the Humanities

Rima Brusi, Writer-in-Residence, Center for Human Rights and Peace, Lehman College-CUNY

Luis Ferrao, Chancellor, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Rafael Ramirez-Rivera, Chancellor, Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo Campus

The Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH) / Puerto Rico Endowment for the Humanities is the equivalent of a Humanities State Council: an independent, non-profit organization affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities and dedicated to promoting humanistic values in its region. Margarita Benítez is the executive director.

Since its creation in 1977, the FPH has significantly enabled Puerto Rico’s cultural and humanistic development by supporting organizations, communities, museums, universities and individuals as they undertake projects that reflect the diversity of the Puerto Rican experience, its heritage, traditions and history in the island and beyond. FPH’s support of research, symposia, exhibitions and multiple public programs contribute to the understanding and dissemination of the Puerto Rican humanistic experience in all its forms.

For the past eight decades, higher education in Puerto Rico has been the most reliable pathway for individual and collective advancement. Puerto Rico is now facing a difficult economic situation, made more complicated by the ongoing repercussions of Hurricane Maria and demographic trends that show a reduction in the birth rate and an increase in the over 60 population