Ordered by median earnings ten years after entry — with the debt each cohort carries, because a big salary against a bigger loan is not a win. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 271 | Illinois State University | B | $20,482 | $233 | $62,117 | 0.9 yrs |
| 272 | Robert Morris University | C | $26,950 | $306 | $62,105 | 1.2 yrs |
| 273 | Saint Martin's University Washington | C | $22,500 | $256 | $62,092 | 1 yrs |
| 274 | Stevenson University | C | $26,000 | $296 | $62,079 | 1.2 yrs |
| 275 | Allegheny College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $62,069 | 1.2 yrs |
| 276 | University of Kansas Kansas | B | $21,000 | $239 | $61,945 | 0.9 yrs |
| 277 | Walla Walla University Washington | C | $26,842 | $305 | $61,885 | 1.2 yrs |
| 278 | Lake Forest College | C | $26,158 | $297 | $61,825 | 1.2 yrs |
| 279 | La Sierra University | C | $27,000 | $307 | $61,824 | 1.2 yrs |
| 280 | Carroll College | C | $25,757 | $293 | $61,772 | 1.2 yrs |
| 281 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville | C | $21,977 | $250 | $61,760 | 1 yrs |
| 282 | Susquehanna University Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $61,723 | 1.2 yrs |
| 283 | Florida State University Florida | B | $18,000 | $205 | $61,675 | 0.8 yrs |
| 284 | Central Washington University Washington | B | $19,500 | $222 | $61,580 | 0.9 yrs |
| 285 | Salisbury University Maryland | B | $21,000 | $239 | $61,515 | 1 yrs |
| 286 | California Baptist University | C | $26,063 | $296 | $61,504 | 1.2 yrs |
| 287 | Montclair State University | C | $22,000 | $250 | $61,415 | 1 yrs |
| 288 | University of Tulsa Oklahoma | C | $21,500 | $244 | $61,408 | 1 yrs |
| 289 | High Point University North Carolina | C | $24,575 | $279 | $61,389 | 1.1 yrs |
| 290 | University of Baltimore | C | $23,250 | $264 | $61,335 | 1.1 yrs |
| 291 | University of Oregon Oregon | B | $20,139 | $229 | $61,324 | 0.9 yrs |
| 292 | Saint Michael's College Vermont | C | $26,922 | $306 | $61,317 | 1.2 yrs |
| 293 | Austin College | C | $24,500 | $279 | $61,296 | 1.1 yrs |
| 294 | Bellevue University | B | $20,000 | $227 | $61,289 | 0.9 yrs |
| 295 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | C | $23,500 | $267 | $61,258 | 1.1 yrs |
| 296 | California State University, Fresno | B | $14,505 | $165 | $61,244 | 0.7 yrs |
| 297 | Hartwick College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $61,107 | 1.3 yrs |
| 298 | Hamline University | C | $23,770 | $270 | $61,106 | 1.1 yrs |
| 299 | York College of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | C | $26,000 | $296 | $61,012 | 1.2 yrs |
| 300 | University of Hartford Connecticut | C | $27,000 | $307 | $60,823 | 1.3 yrs |
Several universities near the top of this list also carry some of the heaviest borrowing in the country. Earning well while repaying heavily is not obviously better than earning less with nothing to repay — which is why the debt column sits right beside the salary.
The earnings figure blends every subject a university teaches. A campus that teaches nothing but medicine or engineering reports the medicine or engineering number; a broad university reports a blended one, however strong its individual departments are.
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.