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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 601 | Union College | A | $25,337 | $288 | $88,604 | 0.5 yrs |
| 602 | Augsburg University Minnesota | C | $25,347 | $288 | $58,829 | 1.3 yrs |
| 603 | Mount St. Mary's University | C | $25,391 | $289 | $64,072 | 1 yrs |
| 604 | University of Findlay Ohio | C | $25,439 | $289 | $56,996 | 1.5 yrs |
| 605 | Hampton University | C | $25,442 | $289 | $59,159 | 1.3 yrs |
| 606 | Niagara University | C | $25,475 | $290 | $56,196 | 1.5 yrs |
| 607 | Western New England University | B | $25,500 | $290 | $73,157 | 0.8 yrs |
| 608 | Rollins College Florida | C | $25,500 | $290 | $58,295 | 1.4 yrs |
| 609 | Illinois College Illinois | D | $25,565 | $291 | $52,575 | 2 yrs |
| 610 | Huntington University | F | $25,576 | $291 | $46,672 | 3.6 yrs |
| 611 | Brandeis University Massachusetts | B | $25,648 | $292 | $77,231 | 0.7 yrs |
| 612 | LaGrange College | D | $25,730 | $293 | $51,745 | 2.1 yrs |
| 613 | Wofford College | B | $25,732 | $293 | $68,964 | 0.9 yrs |
| 614 | Beloit College | D | $25,738 | $293 | $53,260 | 1.9 yrs |
| 615 | Keene State College | D | $25,749 | $293 | $54,368 | 1.7 yrs |
| 616 | University of Dubuque | D | $25,750 | $293 | $51,190 | 2.2 yrs |
| 617 | University of Bridgeport Connecticut | D | $25,750 | $293 | $50,323 | 2.4 yrs |
| 618 | Marymount Manhattan College New York | D | $25,750 | $293 | $49,131 | 2.7 yrs |
| 619 | Carroll College | C | $25,757 | $293 | $61,772 | 1.2 yrs |
| 620 | Montreat College | F | $25,813 | $293 | $45,151 | 4.6 yrs |
| 621 | Villanova University Pennsylvania | A | $25,874 | $294 | $100,423 | 0.4 yrs |
| 622 | Clarkson University New York | A | $26,000 | $296 | $89,696 | 0.5 yrs |
| 623 | Syracuse University New York | B | $26,000 | $296 | $79,164 | 0.7 yrs |
| 624 | Butler University | B | $26,000 | $296 | $77,235 | 0.7 yrs |
| 625 | Catholic University of America | B | $26,000 | $296 | $73,250 | 0.8 yrs |
| 626 | University of Redlands | B | $26,000 | $296 | $72,690 | 0.8 yrs |
| 627 | Denison University | B | $26,000 | $296 | $67,753 | 0.9 yrs |
| 628 | Hampden-Sydney College | B | $26,000 | $296 | $67,640 | 0.9 yrs |
| 629 | Wilkes University | C | $26,000 | $296 | $63,454 | 1.1 yrs |
| 630 | Stevenson University | C | $26,000 | $296 | $62,079 | 1.2 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.