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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 571 | Wichita State University Kansas | D | $20,500 | $233 | $51,532 | 1.7 yrs |
| 572 | Mississippi State University | D | $22,142 | $252 | $51,513 | 1.9 yrs |
| 573 | Spring Hill College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,500 | 2.3 yrs |
| 574 | Texas A&M University - Kingsville | D | $22,934 | $261 | $51,450 | 1.9 yrs |
| 575 | Southwest Minnesota State University | D | $20,500 | $233 | $51,342 | 1.7 yrs |
| 576 | Hastings College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,303 | 2.3 yrs |
| 577 | Millikin University | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,262 | 2.3 yrs |
| 578 | University of Dubuque | D | $25,750 | $293 | $51,190 | 2.2 yrs |
| 579 | Lesley University Massachusetts | D | $21,000 | $239 | $51,173 | 1.8 yrs |
| 580 | Kansas Wesleyan University Kansas | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,152 | 2 yrs |
| 581 | University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | C | $19,500 | $222 | $51,151 | 1.7 yrs |
| 582 | University of Wisconsin–Parkside Wisconsin | D | $20,492 | $233 | $51,129 | 1.8 yrs |
| 583 | Monmouth College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,110 | 2.3 yrs |
| 584 | University of Maine at Fort Kent | D | $20,160 | $229 | $51,077 | 1.7 yrs |
| 585 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | D | $26,798 | $305 | $51,019 | 2.3 yrs |
| 586 | University of Mississippi Mississippi | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,994 | 1.7 yrs |
| 587 | University of Mississippi Medical Center | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,994 | 1.7 yrs |
| 588 | Dakota State University | D | $23,500 | $267 | $50,970 | 2.1 yrs |
| 589 | University of Texas at El Paso Texas | C | $18,000 | $205 | $50,923 | 1.6 yrs |
| 590 | University of Minnesota - Morris | C | $18,995 | $216 | $50,919 | 1.7 yrs |
| 591 | Webster University | D | $23,000 | $262 | $50,876 | 2 yrs |
| 592 | Earlham College | D | $23,488 | $267 | $50,797 | 2.1 yrs |
| 593 | Dickinson State University | C | $18,442 | $210 | $50,720 | 1.7 yrs |
| 594 | University of Advancing Technology | D | $28,812 | $328 | $50,719 | 2.6 yrs |
| 595 | Morgan State University | D | $27,250 | $310 | $50,698 | 2.4 yrs |
| 596 | University of Toledo | D | $22,250 | $253 | $50,632 | 2 yrs |
| 597 | Pittsburg State University Kansas | D | $18,969 | $216 | $50,579 | 1.7 yrs |
| 598 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,527 | 1.8 yrs |
| 599 | Colorado Christian University | D | $28,312 | $322 | $50,416 | 2.6 yrs |
| 600 | Quincy University | D | $24,000 | $273 | $50,369 | 2.2 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.