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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 481 | Northern Arizona University Arizona | C | $19,000 | $216 | $54,384 | 1.3 yrs |
| 482 | Keene State College | D | $25,749 | $293 | $54,368 | 1.7 yrs |
| 483 | Central College | D | $26,984 | $307 | $54,317 | 1.8 yrs |
| 484 | Hiram College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,311 | 1.8 yrs |
| 485 | Pratt Institute | D | $26,000 | $296 | $54,295 | 1.8 yrs |
| 486 | Sam Houston State University | C | $21,983 | $250 | $54,211 | 1.5 yrs |
| 487 | Western Illinois University | D | $25,251 | $287 | $54,163 | 1.7 yrs |
| 488 | Capital University Ohio | D | $26,889 | $306 | $54,143 | 1.8 yrs |
| 489 | Cascadia College Washington | A | $6,368 | $72 | $54,133 | 0.4 yrs |
| 490 | Baldwin Wallace University | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,122 | 1.9 yrs |
| 491 | Tabor College | C | $23,887 | $272 | $54,058 | 1.6 yrs |
| 492 | Utah State University Utah | C | $14,340 | $163 | $54,022 | 1 yrs |
| 493 | Brenau University | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,003 | 1.9 yrs |
| 494 | Hanover College Indiana | D | $25,250 | $287 | $53,957 | 1.8 yrs |
| 495 | University of Nebraska, Omaha | C | $19,000 | $216 | $53,909 | 1.3 yrs |
| 496 | John Brown University | C | $21,250 | $242 | $53,907 | 1.5 yrs |
| 497 | University of Louisville | C | $20,500 | $233 | $53,899 | 1.4 yrs |
| 498 | Millsaps College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,848 | 1.9 yrs |
| 499 | Wilmington University | C | $20,000 | $227 | $53,844 | 1.4 yrs |
| 500 | The Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | D | $26,000 | $296 | $53,775 | 1.8 yrs |
| 501 | University of Evansville | D | $24,606 | $280 | $53,770 | 1.7 yrs |
| 502 | Bemidji State University | C | $19,750 | $225 | $53,755 | 1.4 yrs |
| 503 | Radford University Virginia | D | $24,000 | $273 | $53,739 | 1.7 yrs |
| 504 | Dakota Wesleyan University | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,728 | 1.9 yrs |
| 505 | University of Indianapolis | D | $26,864 | $305 | $53,610 | 1.9 yrs |
| 506 | Sarah Lawrence College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,603 | 1.9 yrs |
| 507 | Western Michigan University Michigan | D | $26,188 | $298 | $53,562 | 1.9 yrs |
| 508 | University of Houston-Downtown | C | $18,750 | $213 | $53,551 | 1.3 yrs |
| 509 | Marian University Wisconsin | D | $25,000 | $284 | $53,501 | 1.8 yrs |
| 510 | Wayne State University | C | $21,250 | $242 | $53,493 | 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.