Ordered by median federal debt at graduation — smallest loan first, with what graduates go on to earn beside it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Fairmont State University West Virginia | F | $21,000 | $239 | $46,857 | 2.9 yrs |
| 302 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | A | $21,000 | $239 | $84,276 | 0.5 yrs |
| 303 | Lesley University Massachusetts | D | $21,000 | $239 | $51,173 | 1.8 yrs |
| 304 | St. Mary's College of Maryland | C | $21,000 | $239 | $60,110 | 1 yrs |
| 305 | Auburn University Alabama | B | $21,000 | $239 | $65,337 | 0.8 yrs |
| 306 | University of Kansas Kansas | B | $21,000 | $239 | $61,945 | 0.9 yrs |
| 307 | Ramapo College of New Jersey New Jersey | B | $21,000 | $239 | $67,541 | 0.8 yrs |
| 308 | University of Tennessee, Martin | F | $21,024 | $239 | $44,213 | 4.5 yrs |
| 309 | Midwestern State University | C | $21,030 | $239 | $55,747 | 1.3 yrs |
| 310 | Ohio University Ohio | C | $21,056 | $239 | $52,581 | 1.6 yrs |
| 311 | Saint Cloud State University | C | $21,058 | $239 | $55,813 | 1.3 yrs |
| 312 | Southern New Hampshire University | D | $21,082 | $240 | $50,318 | 2 yrs |
| 313 | Frostburg State University Maryland | C | $21,105 | $240 | $55,493 | 1.3 yrs |
| 314 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | C | $21,106 | $240 | $56,922 | 1.2 yrs |
| 315 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | C | $21,196 | $241 | $56,403 | 1.3 yrs |
| 316 | Oregon State University Oregon | B | $21,221 | $241 | $64,010 | 0.9 yrs |
| 317 | Purdue University Northwest | D | $21,229 | $241 | $48,318 | 2.4 yrs |
| 318 | Wayne State University | C | $21,250 | $242 | $53,493 | 1.5 yrs |
| 319 | Lamar University | D | $21,250 | $242 | $49,652 | 2.1 yrs |
| 320 | John Brown University | C | $21,250 | $242 | $53,907 | 1.5 yrs |
| 321 | Kansas State University Kansas | C | $21,250 | $242 | $57,262 | 1.2 yrs |
| 322 | University of Cincinnati Ohio | C | $21,250 | $242 | $54,810 | 1.4 yrs |
| 323 | Columbia Southern University | B | $21,339 | $243 | $63,534 | 0.9 yrs |
| 324 | Indiana University at South Bend | F | $21,355 | $243 | $44,947 | 3.9 yrs |
| 325 | University of Portland | A | $21,370 | $243 | $82,804 | 0.5 yrs |
| 326 | Northern Michigan University Michigan | F | $21,474 | $244 | $47,107 | 2.8 yrs |
| 327 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | C | $21,500 | $244 | $55,548 | 1.3 yrs |
| 328 | Northwest Missouri State University Missouri | D | $21,500 | $244 | $47,885 | 2.6 yrs |
| 329 | Clemson University | B | $21,500 | $244 | $71,513 | 0.7 yrs |
| 330 | University of Louisiana at Monroe | F | $21,500 | $244 | $46,769 | 3 yrs |
A university can leave students with little debt because it is genuinely affordable — strong institutional aid, low in-state tuition — or because so few of its students borrow that the median falls to a handful of cases. The earnings column beside it is what separates the two.
It counts federal loans only. Private loans, credit cards and parent borrowing sit outside the dataset, so a family that financed college another way appears here as low debt.
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.