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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 361 | Mount Holyoke College | C | $22,902 | $260 | $58,418 | 1.2 yrs |
| 362 | Champlain College | C | $26,814 | $305 | $58,386 | 1.4 yrs |
| 363 | Mercer University | C | $24,199 | $275 | $58,354 | 1.3 yrs |
| 364 | Oberlin College | C | $26,000 | $296 | $58,343 | 1.4 yrs |
| 365 | University of Central Florida | C | $18,190 | $207 | $58,308 | 1 yrs |
| 366 | Rollins College Florida | C | $25,500 | $290 | $58,295 | 1.4 yrs |
| 367 | Keuka College New York | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,289 | 1.4 yrs |
| 368 | Loras College | C | $26,000 | $296 | $58,289 | 1.4 yrs |
| 369 | University of Dallas | C | $23,117 | $263 | $58,285 | 1.2 yrs |
| 370 | Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Minnesota | C | $21,500 | $244 | $58,170 | 1.2 yrs |
| 371 | Governors State University | C | $18,618 | $212 | $58,169 | 1 yrs |
| 372 | Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia | C | $21,500 | $244 | $58,128 | 1.2 yrs |
| 373 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | C | $23,000 | $262 | $58,084 | 1.2 yrs |
| 374 | State University of New York at New Paltz New York | C | $18,750 | $213 | $58,073 | 1 yrs |
| 375 | University of Minnesota - Crookston | C | $20,500 | $233 | $58,056 | 1.1 yrs |
| 376 | Roanoke College | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,047 | 1.5 yrs |
| 377 | Portland State University Oregon | C | $20,500 | $233 | $57,906 | 1.1 yrs |
| 378 | Eastern Washington University Washington | C | $19,500 | $222 | $57,897 | 1.1 yrs |
| 379 | Northern Illinois University | C | $22,162 | $252 | $57,808 | 1.2 yrs |
| 380 | University of South Florida Florida | C | $17,988 | $205 | $57,743 | 1 yrs |
| 381 | University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii | C | $18,500 | $210 | $57,624 | 1 yrs |
| 382 | Felician University New Jersey | C | $25,000 | $284 | $57,602 | 1.4 yrs |
| 383 | State University of New York at Oswego | C | $20,880 | $237 | $57,566 | 1.2 yrs |
| 384 | Kennesaw State University | C | $23,833 | $271 | $57,552 | 1.3 yrs |
| 385 | Christian Brothers University | C | $27,000 | $307 | $57,478 | 1.5 yrs |
| 386 | Oklahoma State University | C | $20,500 | $233 | $57,413 | 1.2 yrs |
| 387 | Plymouth State University New Hampshire | C | $26,000 | $296 | $57,304 | 1.5 yrs |
| 388 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | C | $21,500 | $244 | $57,289 | 1.2 yrs |
| 389 | Kansas State University Kansas | C | $21,250 | $242 | $57,262 | 1.2 yrs |
| 390 | St. Bonaventure University | C | $26,000 | $296 | $57,214 | 1.5 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.