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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 601 | Centenary College of Louisiana | D | $27,000 | $307 | $50,330 | 2.5 yrs |
| 602 | University of Bridgeport Connecticut | D | $25,750 | $293 | $50,323 | 2.4 yrs |
| 603 | Southern New Hampshire University | D | $21,082 | $240 | $50,318 | 2 yrs |
| 604 | Southern Utah University | C | $12,500 | $142 | $50,296 | 1.2 yrs |
| 605 | Athens State University | C | $18,051 | $205 | $50,273 | 1.7 yrs |
| 606 | Northern Kentucky University Kentucky | D | $23,000 | $262 | $50,220 | 2.2 yrs |
| 607 | Montgomery College | C | $10,415 | $118 | $50,159 | 1 yrs |
| 608 | University of North Georgia | C | $17,750 | $202 | $50,135 | 1.7 yrs |
| 609 | Angelo State University | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,116 | 1.9 yrs |
| 610 | University of Nebraska Kearney Nebraska | D | $19,500 | $222 | $50,105 | 1.8 yrs |
| 611 | Geneva College | D | $25,198 | $287 | $50,004 | 2.4 yrs |
| 612 | University of Southern Maine | D | $19,060 | $217 | $49,958 | 1.8 yrs |
| 613 | Washburn University | D | $18,127 | $206 | $49,774 | 1.8 yrs |
| 614 | San Diego Christian College | D | $24,941 | $284 | $49,766 | 2.4 yrs |
| 615 | Lamar University | D | $21,250 | $242 | $49,652 | 2.1 yrs |
| 616 | Tuskegee University | D | $27,000 | $307 | $49,641 | 2.7 yrs |
| 617 | Stephen F. Austin State University | D | $23,409 | $266 | $49,634 | 2.3 yrs |
| 618 | The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley Texas | C | $12,950 | $147 | $49,620 | 1.3 yrs |
| 619 | University of Wisconsin - Superior | D | $22,500 | $256 | $49,606 | 2.2 yrs |
| 620 | Huntingdon College | D | $27,000 | $307 | $49,601 | 2.7 yrs |
| 621 | University of West Georgia | D | $23,970 | $273 | $49,587 | 2.4 yrs |
| 622 | Aquinas College | D | $23,000 | $262 | $49,584 | 2.3 yrs |
| 623 | University of Central Missouri | D | $21,000 | $239 | $49,560 | 2.1 yrs |
| 624 | Montana State University - Northern | D | $18,500 | $210 | $49,505 | 1.9 yrs |
| 625 | Wright State University | D | $22,750 | $259 | $49,500 | 2.3 yrs |
| 626 | Western Carolina University North Carolina | D | $21,868 | $249 | $49,458 | 2.2 yrs |
| 627 | University of South Alabama Alabama | D | $24,929 | $283 | $49,379 | 2.5 yrs |
| 628 | Bastyr University | C | $13,817 | $157 | $49,364 | 1.4 yrs |
| 629 | Valdosta State University | D | $24,779 | $282 | $49,361 | 2.5 yrs |
| 630 | Delaware State University | D | $26,000 | $296 | $49,307 | 2.7 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.