Quick Stats
Location : Prairie View, Texas
Closest Big City/Airport : Houston, TX
School Size : 8,109
Athletic Division : NCAA DI - FCS
Athletic Conference : SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Tuition & Fees : (In-State) $11,299 // (Out of State) $26,874
Total Cost of Attendance : (In-State) $26,287 // (Out of State) $41,862
Average Cost After Aid : $13,540
Percent of Financial Aid Need Met : 71%
Average High School GPA : 3.2
Average SAT/ACT Combined : SAT - 955 // ACT - 18
Acceptance Rate : 80%
Popular Degrees : Architecture, Engineering, Nursing, Agriculture
Personal Tour Blog
Nestled at the highest point of Waller County sits Prairie View A&M. Nicknamed “The Hill” for its location, Prairie View A&M is an HBCU located in southeast Texas, roughly 30 minutes from downtown Houston. While the location of the campus itself may be more rural, the community on campus is dedicated to keeping its students entertained and engaged all semester long. The campus itself is quite large in size, but it is incredibly walkable with new and renovated buildings sprawled in every direction. During my visit, some notable additions were the business/agricultural building and the student rec center, both of which were beautiful and tailored to the size of the university. I wanted to take an opportunity to address the architecture building on its own, though, because it took my breath away. Designed by Prairie View students, the building is modeled after a colonial slave-trading ship. It’s one of the most unique buildings I’ve ever seen, and the inside of the building provides massive open spaces and huge labs with every piece of equipment one would need to create. I found it incredibly powerful that the students chose a design that famously represented oppression, instead turning it into a space that produces the most African American architects out of any college in the country. With a normal class size of roughly 30, PVAMU’s student body is predominantly Texan-based. Despite over 80% of the students coming from the Lone Star State, there are over 40 states and 40 countries represented as well. The school is also actively working on opportunities to work more closely with Texas A&M, their sister school, to provide even more opportunities and experiences for their students. A&M stands for Agriculture and Mechanical, and Prairie View does both incredibly well. With some of the strongest STEM programs of any HBCU, The university embraces hands-on learning which can be seen in places like the on-campus farm or on-campus elementary school where Agriculture and Education majors work. Additionally, The Nursing Program sends its students to Houston after two years to work in the medical district, one of the most prolific medical districts in the country. Most of the student body lives on campus, and frequently finds creative ways to interact whether it be at football games on Saturday or celebrating Hump Day each Wednesday on the quad with DJs, dancing, and food stands abound. All in all, Prairie View A&M showcased rich tradition with incredibly impressive STEM programs, and you could feel the school pride from every person you spoke to on campus. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in your college community, PVAMU is a must-visit.
Fun Facts
- Produces the largest number of African American architects and engineers out of any college in the country
- 770 Acre Farm on campus for use by the Agricultural department
Athlete Fun Fact
Football games are highly attended for both the strong program and PVAMU’s impressive band, “The Marching Storm”
Sports Offered
Men- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Tennis
- Track &Field
Women- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross Country
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track & Field
- Volleyball
Tour Photos
About #TourTuesdays
Throughout the next few months, we are going to highlight various colleges and universities across the globe, some of which you may not have even heard of. Although we have no affiliation with any of these programs, we hope these tour notes will help you discover a new option, learn something new about a school you already know, or encourage you to explore a different type of institution that you otherwise wouldn't have explored.
