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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 751 | University of Tennessee, Martin | F | $21,024 | $239 | $44,213 | 4.5 yrs |
| 752 | University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi | F | $22,500 | $256 | $44,140 | 4.9 yrs |
| 753 | University of North Carolina at Asheville | F | $20,500 | $233 | $44,030 | 4.6 yrs |
| 754 | Southeast Missouri State University | F | $21,500 | $244 | $44,030 | 4.8 yrs |
| 755 | Western Kentucky University | F | $22,095 | $251 | $43,889 | 5.1 yrs |
| 756 | Community College of Baltimore County | F | $11,528 | $131 | $43,729 | 2.7 yrs |
| 757 | Florida Southwestern State College Florida | D | $8,000 | $91 | $43,421 | 2.1 yrs |
| 758 | Davis & Elkins College | F | $27,000 | $307 | $43,411 | 6.9 yrs |
| 759 | The University of North Carolina at Pembroke | F | $25,000 | $284 | $43,407 | 6.4 yrs |
| 760 | Seattle Central College | F | $12,000 | $136 | $43,307 | 3.2 yrs |
| 761 | Mercer County Community College | F | $10,500 | $119 | $43,264 | 2.8 yrs |
| 762 | Morehead State University | F | $22,250 | $253 | $43,197 | 6.1 yrs |
| 763 | Lincoln University | F | $28,250 | $321 | $43,167 | 7.8 yrs |
| 764 | Berea College Kentucky | C | $3,591 | $41 | $43,150 | 1 yrs |
| 765 | Florida Institute of Technology | F | $27,000 | $307 | $43,137 | 7.5 yrs |
| 766 | Southwest Baptist University | F | $20,957 | $238 | $43,112 | 5.8 yrs |
| 767 | Gallaudet University | F | $18,000 | $205 | $43,101 | 5 yrs |
| 768 | Stephens College | F | $27,000 | $307 | $43,071 | 7.6 yrs |
| 769 | North Carolina Central University | F | $28,250 | $321 | $42,968 | 8.2 yrs |
| 770 | ECPI University | F | $20,000 | $227 | $42,837 | 6 yrs |
| 771 | Walden University Minnesota | F | $20,834 | $237 | $42,810 | 6.3 yrs |
| 772 | Tennessee State University | F | $27,000 | $307 | $42,730 | 8.4 yrs |
| 773 | Johnson C. Smith University | F | $30,000 | $341 | $42,680 | 9.5 yrs |
| 774 | Arkansas State University | F | $20,500 | $233 | $42,617 | 6.6 yrs |
| 775 | St. Petersburg College | F | $16,868 | $192 | $42,557 | 5.6 yrs |
| 776 | Oakwood University | F | $27,000 | $307 | $42,488 | 9.1 yrs |
| 777 | William Woods University | F | $21,983 | $250 | $42,401 | 7.6 yrs |
| 778 | Lander University | F | $25,000 | $284 | $42,396 | 8.7 yrs |
| 779 | Southern Arkansas University Arkansas | F | $18,750 | $213 | $42,386 | 6.5 yrs |
| 780 | Prescott College | F | $16,300 | $185 | $42,359 | 5.7 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.