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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 691 | University of Akron | F | $23,250 | $264 | $46,600 | 3.3 yrs |
| 692 | Bard College New York | F | $24,254 | $276 | $46,543 | 3.5 yrs |
| 693 | Coppin State University | F | $25,000 | $284 | $46,490 | 3.6 yrs |
| 694 | Southeastern Louisiana University Louisiana | F | $22,113 | $251 | $46,482 | 3.2 yrs |
| 695 | McNeese State University | F | $23,000 | $262 | $46,453 | 3.3 yrs |
| 696 | Frederick Community College | C | $8,150 | $93 | $46,449 | 1.2 yrs |
| 697 | Lake Superior College | D | $12,775 | $145 | $46,449 | 1.8 yrs |
| 698 | Belhaven University Mississippi | F | $26,333 | $299 | $46,440 | 3.8 yrs |
| 699 | Marshall University | F | $23,250 | $264 | $46,354 | 3.4 yrs |
| 700 | Fort Lewis College | F | $18,389 | $209 | $46,349 | 2.7 yrs |
| 701 | Anne Arundel Community College | C | $8,250 | $94 | $46,219 | 1.2 yrs |
| 702 | Mississippi University for Women | D | $15,000 | $171 | $46,128 | 2.3 yrs |
| 703 | Lewis-Clark State College Idaho | F | $18,500 | $210 | $46,001 | 2.9 yrs |
| 704 | University of Central Arkansas Arkansas | F | $20,346 | $231 | $45,938 | 3.2 yrs |
| 705 | New Mexico Highlands University | D | $11,399 | $130 | $45,937 | 1.8 yrs |
| 706 | Purdue University Fort Wayne IN | F | $21,500 | $244 | $45,872 | 3.4 yrs |
| 707 | Point Park University Pennsylvania | F | $27,000 | $307 | $45,856 | 4.3 yrs |
| 708 | Colorado Mesa University | F | $22,000 | $250 | $45,823 | 3.5 yrs |
| 709 | National-Louis University | F | $19,750 | $225 | $45,799 | 3.2 yrs |
| 710 | Eastern Kentucky University | F | $22,500 | $256 | $45,795 | 3.6 yrs |
| 711 | Idaho State University Idaho | F | $20,039 | $228 | $45,608 | 3.3 yrs |
| 712 | University of South Carolina - Aiken | F | $24,275 | $276 | $45,603 | 4 yrs |
| 713 | Virginia State University | F | $26,500 | $301 | $45,543 | 4.4 yrs |
| 714 | Nicholls State University | F | $22,675 | $258 | $45,454 | 3.8 yrs |
| 715 | Fisk University | F | $27,000 | $307 | $45,454 | 4.6 yrs |
| 716 | Everett Community College Washington | D | $10,417 | $118 | $45,434 | 1.8 yrs |
| 717 | Madison Area Technical College Wisconsin | D | $14,060 | $160 | $45,413 | 2.4 yrs |
| 718 | Northeastern State University | F | $17,367 | $197 | $45,379 | 3 yrs |
| 719 | Evergreen State College | F | $20,500 | $233 | $45,320 | 3.5 yrs |
| 720 | Sierra College California | D | $10,500 | $119 | $45,294 | 1.8 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.