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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 781 | Florida State College at Jacksonville | F | $13,562 | $154 | $42,244 | 5 yrs |
| 782 | Louisiana State University at Alexandria | F | $19,000 | $216 | $42,205 | 7.1 yrs |
| 783 | Columbia College Chicago | F | $25,000 | $284 | $42,195 | 9.4 yrs |
| 784 | Capella University | F | $14,968 | $170 | $42,189 | 5.6 yrs |
| 785 | Grand Canyon University | F | $22,114 | $251 | $42,186 | 8.3 yrs |
| 786 | Anderson University South Carolina | F | $26,700 | $304 | $42,101 | 10.3 yrs |
| 787 | Troy University Alabama | F | $25,000 | $284 | $42,062 | 9.8 yrs |
| 788 | Delta State University | F | $20,390 | $232 | $41,991 | 8.3 yrs |
| 789 | Broward College | F | $7,500 | $85 | $41,939 | 3.1 yrs |
| 790 | Palm Beach State College | F | $7,081 | $81 | $41,923 | 3 yrs |
| 791 | University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma | F | $21,750 | $247 | $41,913 | 9.1 yrs |
| 792 | Sul Ross State University | F | $15,900 | $181 | $41,871 | 6.8 yrs |
| 793 | Arkansas Tech University Arkansas | F | $21,000 | $239 | $41,766 | 9.4 yrs |
| 794 | Hagerstown Community College | F | $11,000 | $125 | $41,615 | 5.3 yrs |
| 795 | Youngstown State University | F | $24,000 | $273 | $41,544 | 11.9 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.