Ordered by how long the earnings premium takes to clear the median debt — least time first. The typical graded US university clears its debt in 1.3 years on median earnings of $57,089 against $22,500 of debt.
| # | University | Grade | You borrow | Monthly | You earn | Debt clears in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University California | A | $12,000 | $136 | $124,080 | 0.1 yrs |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts | A | $14,768 | $168 | $143,372 | 0.1 yrs |
| 3 | Princeton University New Jersey | A | $10,320 | $117 | $110,066 | 0.2 yrs |
| 4 | United States Merchant Marine Academy | A | $8,833 | $100 | $90,610 | 0.2 yrs |
| 5 | Yale University Connecticut | A | $12,975 | $148 | $100,533 | 0.2 yrs |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins University Maryland | A | $10,250 | $117 | $87,555 | 0.2 yrs |
| 7 | Brown University | A | $11,428 | $130 | $93,487 | 0.2 yrs |
| 8 | Claremont McKenna College | A | $13,500 | $153 | $104,736 | 0.2 yrs |
| 9 | Harvard University Massachusetts | A | $14,000 | $159 | $101,817 | 0.2 yrs |
| 10 | Cornell University New York | A | $14,000 | $159 | $104,043 | 0.2 yrs |
| 11 | Duke University North Carolina | A | $13,000 | $148 | $97,800 | 0.2 yrs |
| 12 | University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | A | $15,715 | $179 | $111,371 | 0.2 yrs |
| 13 | Rice University Texas | A | $11,000 | $125 | $89,718 | 0.2 yrs |
| 14 | Wellesley College | A | $10,000 | $114 | $84,803 | 0.2 yrs |
| 15 | Texas Tech University-Health Sciences Center | A | $12,268 | $139 | $92,348 | 0.2 yrs |
| 16 | Babson College | A | $20,000 | $227 | $123,938 | 0.2 yrs |
| 17 | Harvey Mudd College California | A | $25,000 | $284 | $138,687 | 0.3 yrs |
| 18 | University of California, Berkeley | A | $13,000 | $148 | $92,446 | 0.3 yrs |
| 19 | Williams College | A | $12,761 | $145 | $88,665 | 0.3 yrs |
| 20 | Vanderbilt University Tennessee | A | $14,000 | $159 | $91,565 | 0.3 yrs |
| 21 | Santa Clara University California | A | $19,162 | $218 | $109,183 | 0.3 yrs |
| 22 | Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania | A | $21,750 | $247 | $114,862 | 0.3 yrs |
| 23 | University of Chicago Illinois | A | $15,000 | $171 | $91,885 | 0.3 yrs |
| 24 | Dartmouth College New Hampshire | A | $17,500 | $199 | $97,434 | 0.3 yrs |
| 25 | University of California Davis California | A | $13,000 | $148 | $80,838 | 0.3 yrs |
| 26 | Bentley University Massachusetts | A | $25,023 | $285 | $120,959 | 0.3 yrs |
| 27 | Lafayette College | A | $16,000 | $182 | $91,410 | 0.3 yrs |
| 28 | Pomona College California | A | $11,782 | $134 | $77,779 | 0.3 yrs |
| 29 | University of Maryland, Baltimore | A | $15,000 | $171 | $88,174 | 0.3 yrs |
| 30 | University of Notre Dame | A | $19,000 | $216 | $99,980 | 0.3 yrs |
The universities that clear their debt quickest are rarely the most famous. Payback is a ratio: a modest salary against very little borrowing beats a high salary carrying a large loan. Specialist institutions and low-cost publics dominate here for exactly that reason.
It says nothing about teaching, class size or how much you will enjoy three years there. It also cannot tell you what your subject pays — the federal figures are published per institution, so every course on campus shares one number.
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Figures cover students who received federal financial aid and blend every subject at each institution. Information only, not financial advice.