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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Mount Mercy University Iowa | C | $23,699 | $269 | $60,787 | 1.1 yrs |
| 302 | Canisius University New York | C | $24,250 | $276 | $60,681 | 1.2 yrs |
| 303 | McDaniel College Maryland | C | $25,000 | $284 | $60,663 | 1.2 yrs |
| 304 | Western Governors University Utah | A | $11,116 | $126 | $60,615 | 0.5 yrs |
| 305 | University of Nevada, Reno | B | $18,922 | $215 | $60,614 | 0.9 yrs |
| 306 | University of Mary Washington Virginia | C | $20,500 | $233 | $60,613 | 1 yrs |
| 307 | Pacific University | C | $23,223 | $264 | $60,583 | 1.1 yrs |
| 308 | Christopher Newport University | C | $25,000 | $284 | $60,509 | 1.2 yrs |
| 309 | Ohio State University Ohio | B | $19,976 | $227 | $60,409 | 1 yrs |
| 310 | Hendrix College | C | $26,688 | $303 | $60,376 | 1.3 yrs |
| 311 | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | C | $20,500 | $233 | $60,249 | 1 yrs |
| 312 | Florida International University Florida | B | $16,500 | $188 | $60,249 | 0.8 yrs |
| 313 | Presbyterian College South Carolina | C | $26,000 | $296 | $60,194 | 1.3 yrs |
| 314 | University of New Haven Connecticut | C | $27,000 | $307 | $60,126 | 1.3 yrs |
| 315 | St. Mary's College of Maryland | C | $21,000 | $239 | $60,110 | 1 yrs |
| 316 | Spelman College | C | $25,000 | $284 | $59,993 | 1.2 yrs |
| 317 | Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion | C | $24,250 | $276 | $59,986 | 1.2 yrs |
| 318 | Saint Vincent College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $59,982 | 1.3 yrs |
| 319 | University of Arizona Arizona | B | $19,620 | $223 | $59,979 | 1 yrs |
| 320 | California State University, San Bernardino | B | $14,715 | $167 | $59,977 | 0.7 yrs |
| 321 | Long Island University | C | $23,577 | $268 | $59,950 | 1.2 yrs |
| 322 | Goldey-Beacom College | B | $18,900 | $215 | $59,892 | 0.9 yrs |
| 323 | Luther College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $59,850 | 1.3 yrs |
| 324 | King University | C | $22,750 | $259 | $59,831 | 1.1 yrs |
| 325 | University of Michigan - Dearborn | C | $22,500 | $256 | $59,649 | 1.1 yrs |
| 326 | University of Missouri-Kansas City Missouri | B | $18,750 | $213 | $59,637 | 0.9 yrs |
| 327 | The College of Wooster Ohio | C | $26,500 | $301 | $59,629 | 1.3 yrs |
| 328 | Hawaii Pacific University | C | $22,000 | $250 | $59,593 | 1.1 yrs |
| 329 | King's College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $59,498 | 1.4 yrs |
| 330 | Whittier College | C | $24,937 | $284 | $59,492 | 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.