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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 451 | South Dakota State University | C | $23,250 | $264 | $55,070 | 1.5 yrs |
| 452 | Alvernia University Pennsylvania | D | $27,000 | $307 | $55,055 | 1.7 yrs |
| 453 | Southern Connecticut State University | C | $22,250 | $253 | $55,043 | 1.4 yrs |
| 454 | University of Nevada, Las Vegas | C | $19,450 | $221 | $55,037 | 1.3 yrs |
| 455 | SOKA University of America California | C | $15,650 | $178 | $55,017 | 1 yrs |
| 456 | University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | C | $23,000 | $262 | $54,990 | 1.5 yrs |
| 457 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington | C | $19,500 | $222 | $54,967 | 1.3 yrs |
| 458 | Southern Nazarene University | C | $21,900 | $249 | $54,951 | 1.4 yrs |
| 459 | Wittenberg University | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,947 | 1.8 yrs |
| 460 | Old Dominion University | C | $24,000 | $273 | $54,914 | 1.6 yrs |
| 461 | Ripon College Wisconsin | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,902 | 1.8 yrs |
| 462 | Alfred University | D | $26,000 | $296 | $54,897 | 1.7 yrs |
| 463 | Campbell University | C | $22,500 | $256 | $54,886 | 1.5 yrs |
| 464 | Eastern Mennonite University Virginia | C | $24,813 | $282 | $54,869 | 1.6 yrs |
| 465 | Knox College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,820 | 1.8 yrs |
| 466 | University of Cincinnati Ohio | C | $21,250 | $242 | $54,810 | 1.4 yrs |
| 467 | Rockford University Illinois | C | $22,274 | $253 | $54,794 | 1.5 yrs |
| 468 | Alma College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,742 | 1.8 yrs |
| 469 | Ferris State University Michigan | C | $21,000 | $239 | $54,735 | 1.4 yrs |
| 470 | Transylvania University | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,705 | 1.8 yrs |
| 471 | University of Idaho | C | $21,982 | $250 | $54,670 | 1.5 yrs |
| 472 | Wisconsin Lutheran College | D | $26,000 | $296 | $54,664 | 1.7 yrs |
| 473 | University of Colorado at Colorado Springs | C | $20,000 | $227 | $54,659 | 1.3 yrs |
| 474 | Oklahoma City University | C | $20,835 | $237 | $54,655 | 1.4 yrs |
| 475 | Florida Gulf Coast University | C | $17,622 | $200 | $54,560 | 1.2 yrs |
| 476 | Bowie State University | C | $22,985 | $261 | $54,537 | 1.5 yrs |
| 477 | University of Sioux Falls | C | $23,249 | $264 | $54,521 | 1.6 yrs |
| 478 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | C | $22,300 | $254 | $54,501 | 1.5 yrs |
| 479 | University of Wisconsin - River Falls | C | $20,500 | $233 | $54,458 | 1.4 yrs |
| 480 | Curry College | C | $25,000 | $284 | $54,400 | 1.7 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.