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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211 | University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Pennsylvania | B | $24,250 | $276 | $66,125 | 0.9 yrs |
| 212 | University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Pennsylvania | B | $24,250 | $276 | $66,125 | 0.9 yrs |
| 213 | Lewis University Illinois | B | $21,500 | $244 | $66,099 | 0.8 yrs |
| 214 | Sonoma State University | B | $16,705 | $190 | $65,986 | 0.6 yrs |
| 215 | University of Massachusetts Boston Massachusetts | B | $21,974 | $250 | $65,865 | 0.8 yrs |
| 216 | Baylor University | B | $23,000 | $262 | $65,793 | 0.9 yrs |
| 217 | Woodbury University | C | $26,960 | $307 | $65,668 | 1 yrs |
| 218 | Gustavus Adolphus College | C | $26,774 | $304 | $65,607 | 1 yrs |
| 219 | Kalamazoo College | C | $26,077 | $296 | $65,590 | 1 yrs |
| 220 | Norwich University Vermont | B | $25,000 | $284 | $65,575 | 1 yrs |
| 221 | University of La Verne | B | $23,500 | $267 | $65,464 | 0.9 yrs |
| 222 | Auburn University Alabama | B | $21,000 | $239 | $65,337 | 0.8 yrs |
| 223 | Colorado College | B | $18,257 | $208 | $65,222 | 0.7 yrs |
| 224 | San Diego State University | B | $15,000 | $171 | $64,909 | 0.6 yrs |
| 225 | California State University, Sacramento | B | $15,000 | $171 | $64,876 | 0.6 yrs |
| 226 | University of Massachusetts at Lowell | B | $23,704 | $270 | $64,874 | 0.9 yrs |
| 227 | Xavier University | B | $23,250 | $264 | $64,873 | 0.9 yrs |
| 228 | Westmont College | B | $23,250 | $264 | $64,778 | 0.9 yrs |
| 229 | University of Iowa Iowa | B | $22,500 | $256 | $64,762 | 0.9 yrs |
| 230 | Metropolitan State University | B | $17,100 | $194 | $64,705 | 0.7 yrs |
| 231 | Seattle Pacific University | B | $24,000 | $273 | $64,506 | 1 yrs |
| 232 | California State University, Long Beach | A | $14,289 | $162 | $64,403 | 0.6 yrs |
| 233 | Towson University | B | $18,718 | $213 | $64,390 | 0.8 yrs |
| 234 | University of California, Merced | B | $16,144 | $184 | $64,368 | 0.7 yrs |
| 235 | California State University, Chico | B | $16,552 | $188 | $64,172 | 0.7 yrs |
| 236 | Mount St. Mary's University | C | $25,391 | $289 | $64,072 | 1 yrs |
| 237 | Smith College | B | $17,550 | $200 | $64,027 | 0.7 yrs |
| 238 | Oregon State University Oregon | B | $21,221 | $241 | $64,010 | 0.9 yrs |
| 239 | Macalester College | B | $23,000 | $262 | $63,878 | 0.9 yrs |
| 240 | Wheaton College | B | $23,250 | $264 | $63,756 | 1 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.