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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 511 | Bridgewater College | D | $26,000 | $296 | $53,453 | 1.9 yrs |
| 512 | Brigham Young University - Idaho | C | $13,969 | $159 | $53,406 | 1 yrs |
| 513 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | C | $21,543 | $245 | $53,390 | 1.6 yrs |
| 514 | Doane University Nebraska | D | $25,000 | $284 | $53,316 | 1.8 yrs |
| 515 | Lindenwood University | D | $26,000 | $296 | $53,278 | 1.9 yrs |
| 516 | Montana State University Montana | C | $22,500 | $256 | $53,263 | 1.6 yrs |
| 517 | Beloit College | D | $25,738 | $293 | $53,260 | 1.9 yrs |
| 518 | Georgia Southern University Georgia | D | $23,250 | $264 | $53,236 | 1.7 yrs |
| 519 | University of Michigan–Flint Michigan | D | $25,000 | $284 | $53,230 | 1.8 yrs |
| 520 | University of Mount Union Ohio | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,217 | 2 yrs |
| 521 | Olivet Nazarene University | D | $25,000 | $284 | $53,213 | 1.8 yrs |
| 522 | Andrews University | D | $26,000 | $296 | $53,187 | 1.9 yrs |
| 523 | Alverno College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,145 | 2 yrs |
| 524 | American International College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,124 | 2 yrs |
| 525 | Georgian Court University | C | $21,816 | $248 | $53,096 | 1.6 yrs |
| 526 | Tarleton State University Texas | C | $19,606 | $223 | $53,040 | 1.5 yrs |
| 527 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | D | $25,000 | $284 | $53,032 | 1.9 yrs |
| 528 | Goucher College | D | $26,000 | $296 | $53,023 | 1.9 yrs |
| 529 | Ashland University | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,928 | 1.9 yrs |
| 530 | Harding University | D | $26,500 | $301 | $52,876 | 2 yrs |
| 531 | East Texas Baptist University TX | D | $23,250 | $264 | $52,788 | 1.8 yrs |
| 532 | Upper Iowa University | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,766 | 1.9 yrs |
| 533 | New Jersey City University | C | $18,500 | $210 | $52,745 | 1.4 yrs |
| 534 | Valley City State University | C | $20,369 | $232 | $52,725 | 1.5 yrs |
| 535 | Ohio University Ohio | C | $21,056 | $239 | $52,581 | 1.6 yrs |
| 536 | Illinois College Illinois | D | $25,565 | $291 | $52,575 | 2 yrs |
| 537 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania | D | $23,961 | $272 | $52,567 | 1.8 yrs |
| 538 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | C | $18,500 | $210 | $52,528 | 1.4 yrs |
| 539 | Chatham University Pennsylvania | D | $23,250 | $264 | $52,410 | 1.8 yrs |
| 540 | Longwood University | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,347 | 2 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.