Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Pharr is home to two colleges, with 1,512 students on campus
Rio Grande Valley College (883 students on campus) and Southern Careers Institute-Pharr (629) are inside the city. About 6% of Pharr’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Pharr. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Pharr
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Pharr
Three private colleges within 5.9 miles, one public college within 10 miles, and South Texas College 5.3 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Pharr’s median household income ($52,814) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Pharr: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Southern Careers Institute-Pharr (8); The College of Health Care Professions-McAllen Campus (7).
What students study in Pharr
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Pharr’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Questions about college in Pharr
Is Pharr a college town?
No. About 6 of every 100 Pharr residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Texas (6). The largest campus in the city, Rio Grande Valley College, has 883 students on campus.
What colleges are in Pharr?
Rio Grande Valley College and Southern Careers Institute-Pharr are inside the city. South Texas College is 5.3 miles away in McAllen.
What is the closest community college to Pharr, and what does it cost?
South Texas College in McAllen, 5.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,920 a year for Texas residents; the federal net price, $1,751, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does South Texas College cost if we live in Texas?
Tuition and fees are $4,920 a year in-state and $7,620 from out of state.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Pharr. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →