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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 481 | Long Island University | C | $23,577 | $268 | $59,950 | 1.2 yrs |
| 482 | University of South Dakota | D | $23,592 | $268 | $51,926 | 1.9 yrs |
| 483 | Hofstra University | B | $23,621 | $269 | $69,039 | 0.8 yrs |
| 484 | Saint Mary's College of California | B | $23,691 | $269 | $78,812 | 0.6 yrs |
| 485 | Mount Mercy University Iowa | C | $23,699 | $269 | $60,787 | 1.1 yrs |
| 486 | University of Massachusetts at Lowell | B | $23,704 | $270 | $64,874 | 0.9 yrs |
| 487 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | A | $23,750 | $270 | $102,051 | 0.4 yrs |
| 488 | Coastal Carolina University | F | $23,750 | $270 | $47,258 | 3.1 yrs |
| 489 | Hamline University | C | $23,770 | $270 | $61,106 | 1.1 yrs |
| 490 | Kennesaw State University | C | $23,833 | $271 | $57,552 | 1.3 yrs |
| 491 | Biola University | C | $23,875 | $271 | $56,778 | 1.4 yrs |
| 492 | Tabor College | C | $23,887 | $272 | $54,058 | 1.6 yrs |
| 493 | Marquette University | B | $23,940 | $272 | $78,257 | 0.6 yrs |
| 494 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania | D | $23,961 | $272 | $52,567 | 1.8 yrs |
| 495 | University of West Georgia | D | $23,970 | $273 | $49,587 | 2.4 yrs |
| 496 | Case Western Reserve University Ohio | A | $24,000 | $273 | $87,989 | 0.5 yrs |
| 497 | Seattle Pacific University | B | $24,000 | $273 | $64,506 | 1 yrs |
| 498 | Ithaca College New York | C | $24,000 | $273 | $63,548 | 1 yrs |
| 499 | Old Dominion University | C | $24,000 | $273 | $54,914 | 1.6 yrs |
| 500 | Radford University Virginia | D | $24,000 | $273 | $53,739 | 1.7 yrs |
| 501 | Quincy University | D | $24,000 | $273 | $50,369 | 2.2 yrs |
| 502 | Indiana State University | F | $24,000 | $273 | $48,387 | 2.7 yrs |
| 503 | Youngstown State University | F | $24,000 | $273 | $41,544 | 11.9 yrs |
| 504 | Xavier University of Louisiana | D | $24,053 | $273 | $52,184 | 1.9 yrs |
| 505 | Western Connecticut State University | C | $24,147 | $275 | $59,115 | 1.2 yrs |
| 506 | Loyola University Chicago Illinois | B | $24,157 | $275 | $71,530 | 0.8 yrs |
| 507 | Mercer University | C | $24,199 | $275 | $58,354 | 1.3 yrs |
| 508 | University of Tampa | C | $24,211 | $275 | $59,436 | 1.2 yrs |
| 509 | University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Pennsylvania | B | $24,250 | $276 | $66,125 | 0.9 yrs |
| 510 | University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Pennsylvania | B | $24,250 | $276 | $66,125 | 0.9 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.