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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 721 | University of Arkansas - Little Rock | F | $22,000 | $250 | $45,265 | 3.8 yrs |
| 722 | Jacksonville State University | F | $22,189 | $252 | $45,235 | 3.9 yrs |
| 723 | Montreat College | F | $25,813 | $293 | $45,151 | 4.6 yrs |
| 724 | Davenport University Michigan | F | $26,000 | $296 | $45,099 | 4.7 yrs |
| 725 | Thomas College | F | $24,250 | $276 | $44,991 | 4.4 yrs |
| 726 | East Central University | F | $17,671 | $201 | $44,962 | 3.3 yrs |
| 727 | Indiana University at South Bend | F | $21,355 | $243 | $44,947 | 3.9 yrs |
| 728 | East Tennessee State University Tennessee | F | $19,442 | $221 | $44,859 | 3.6 yrs |
| 729 | Liberty University | F | $24,500 | $279 | $44,813 | 4.6 yrs |
| 730 | University of New Mexico New Mexico | F | $18,450 | $210 | $44,792 | 3.5 yrs |
| 731 | Waubonsee Community College | C | $7,000 | $80 | $44,788 | 1.3 yrs |
| 732 | Murray State University Kentucky | F | $20,500 | $233 | $44,737 | 3.9 yrs |
| 733 | Norfolk State University | F | $29,000 | $330 | $44,666 | 5.6 yrs |
| 734 | Harford Community College | D | $9,812 | $112 | $44,608 | 1.9 yrs |
| 735 | Portland Community College | D | $12,999 | $148 | $44,592 | 2.6 yrs |
| 736 | Columbus State University | F | $26,000 | $296 | $44,544 | 5.2 yrs |
| 737 | Bethany College | F | $27,000 | $307 | $44,512 | 5.4 yrs |
| 738 | University of Montana | F | $22,400 | $255 | $44,511 | 4.5 yrs |
| 739 | Regent University | F | $24,534 | $279 | $44,498 | 4.9 yrs |
| 740 | University of Maine at Farmington | F | $24,499 | $279 | $44,433 | 5 yrs |
| 741 | American Public University System | F | $21,743 | $247 | $44,409 | 4.5 yrs |
| 742 | Auburn University at Montgomery Alabama | F | $25,000 | $284 | $44,391 | 5.1 yrs |
| 743 | University of the Ozarks | F | $20,875 | $237 | $44,384 | 4.3 yrs |
| 744 | Bob Jones University | F | $16,585 | $189 | $44,354 | 3.4 yrs |
| 745 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | F | $23,548 | $268 | $44,349 | 4.9 yrs |
| 746 | Austin Peay State University | F | $20,547 | $234 | $44,301 | 4.3 yrs |
| 747 | Montana State University - Billings | F | $18,209 | $207 | $44,296 | 3.8 yrs |
| 748 | University of the District of Columbia | F | $24,872 | $283 | $44,236 | 5.3 yrs |
| 749 | Lyon College | F | $21,500 | $244 | $44,232 | 4.6 yrs |
| 750 | University of West Alabama | F | $24,944 | $284 | $44,232 | 5.3 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.