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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 391 | University of Montana | F | $22,400 | $255 | $44,511 | 4.5 yrs |
| 392 | Oregon Institute of Technology | B | $22,500 | $256 | $72,273 | 0.7 yrs |
| 393 | University of Iowa Iowa | B | $22,500 | $256 | $64,762 | 0.9 yrs |
| 394 | Benedictine University Illinois | B | $22,500 | $256 | $63,446 | 0.9 yrs |
| 395 | Saint Martin's University Washington | C | $22,500 | $256 | $62,092 | 1 yrs |
| 396 | University of Michigan - Dearborn | C | $22,500 | $256 | $59,649 | 1.1 yrs |
| 397 | University of Kentucky Kentucky | C | $22,500 | $256 | $59,025 | 1.2 yrs |
| 398 | West Virginia University | C | $22,500 | $256 | $55,939 | 1.4 yrs |
| 399 | Campbell University | C | $22,500 | $256 | $54,886 | 1.5 yrs |
| 400 | Montana State University Montana | C | $22,500 | $256 | $53,263 | 1.6 yrs |
| 401 | University of Wisconsin - Superior | D | $22,500 | $256 | $49,606 | 2.2 yrs |
| 402 | Eastern Kentucky University | F | $22,500 | $256 | $45,795 | 3.6 yrs |
| 403 | University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi | F | $22,500 | $256 | $44,140 | 4.9 yrs |
| 404 | Pacific Lutheran University | B | $22,578 | $257 | $66,990 | 0.8 yrs |
| 405 | Nicholls State University | F | $22,675 | $258 | $45,454 | 3.8 yrs |
| 406 | Seton Hall University | B | $22,750 | $259 | $70,196 | 0.7 yrs |
| 407 | King University | C | $22,750 | $259 | $59,831 | 1.1 yrs |
| 408 | University of Alabama Alabama | C | $22,750 | $259 | $59,221 | 1.2 yrs |
| 409 | Oakland University | C | $22,750 | $259 | $58,612 | 1.2 yrs |
| 410 | East Carolina University | C | $22,750 | $259 | $55,146 | 1.5 yrs |
| 411 | Wright State University | D | $22,750 | $259 | $49,500 | 2.3 yrs |
| 412 | University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts | B | $22,763 | $259 | $71,631 | 0.7 yrs |
| 413 | The University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina | D | $22,858 | $260 | $48,160 | 2.7 yrs |
| 414 | Iowa State University Iowa | B | $22,869 | $260 | $63,386 | 1 yrs |
| 415 | Mount Holyoke College | C | $22,902 | $260 | $58,418 | 1.2 yrs |
| 416 | Texas A&M University - Kingsville | D | $22,934 | $261 | $51,450 | 1.9 yrs |
| 417 | University of San Diego California | A | $22,940 | $261 | $86,522 | 0.5 yrs |
| 418 | Goshen College | D | $22,974 | $261 | $51,943 | 1.9 yrs |
| 419 | Bowie State University | C | $22,985 | $261 | $54,537 | 1.5 yrs |
| 420 | Virginia Military Institute | B | $22,996 | $261 | $77,369 | 0.6 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.