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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 331 | University of Tampa | C | $24,211 | $275 | $59,436 | 1.2 yrs |
| 332 | Concordia College - Moorhead | C | $26,847 | $305 | $59,317 | 1.4 yrs |
| 333 | Simpson College | C | $26,000 | $296 | $59,274 | 1.3 yrs |
| 334 | William Jewell College | C | $24,498 | $279 | $59,268 | 1.2 yrs |
| 335 | California State University, Monterey Bay | B | $12,750 | $145 | $59,247 | 0.7 yrs |
| 336 | University of Alabama Alabama | C | $22,750 | $259 | $59,221 | 1.2 yrs |
| 337 | Augustana University South Dakota | C | $25,000 | $284 | $59,217 | 1.3 yrs |
| 338 | California State University, Los Angeles | B | $13,000 | $148 | $59,211 | 0.7 yrs |
| 339 | Nova Southeastern University | C | $24,250 | $276 | $59,209 | 1.2 yrs |
| 340 | Hampton University | C | $25,442 | $289 | $59,159 | 1.3 yrs |
| 341 | California State University, Northridge | B | $13,872 | $158 | $59,115 | 0.7 yrs |
| 342 | Western Connecticut State University | C | $24,147 | $275 | $59,115 | 1.2 yrs |
| 343 | University of Kentucky Kentucky | C | $22,500 | $256 | $59,025 | 1.2 yrs |
| 344 | California State University, Bakersfield | B | $16,600 | $189 | $59,009 | 0.9 yrs |
| 345 | Fresno Pacific University | C | $23,146 | $263 | $58,896 | 1.2 yrs |
| 346 | Gannon University | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,845 | 1.4 yrs |
| 347 | Augsburg University Minnesota | C | $25,347 | $288 | $58,829 | 1.3 yrs |
| 348 | Saint Edward's University | C | $24,803 | $282 | $58,826 | 1.3 yrs |
| 349 | Albion College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,799 | 1.4 yrs |
| 350 | Aurora University | C | $20,318 | $231 | $58,709 | 1.1 yrs |
| 351 | Albright College Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,700 | 1.4 yrs |
| 352 | Saint Xavier University | C | $22,223 | $253 | $58,656 | 1.2 yrs |
| 353 | Oakland University | C | $22,750 | $259 | $58,612 | 1.2 yrs |
| 354 | Central Connecticut State University | C | $22,300 | $254 | $58,562 | 1.2 yrs |
| 355 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | C | $20,909 | $238 | $58,561 | 1.1 yrs |
| 356 | Winona State University | C | $21,500 | $244 | $58,532 | 1.1 yrs |
| 357 | Samford University | C | $19,500 | $222 | $58,469 | 1 yrs |
| 358 | Randolph-Macon College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,448 | 1.4 yrs |
| 359 | Shenandoah University | C | $25,000 | $284 | $58,433 | 1.3 yrs |
| 360 | Hope College | C | $26,800 | $305 | $58,427 | 1.4 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.