Ranked

795 US colleges ranked by student debt, lowest first

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.

#UniversityGradeYou borrowMonthlyYou earnDebt clears in
241 University of Oregon Oregon B $20,139 $229 $61,324 0.9 yrs
242 University of Maine at Fort Kent D $20,160 $229 $51,077 1.7 yrs
243 University of Alaska - Anchorage C $20,210 $230 $51,871 1.6 yrs
244 Appalachian State University C $20,231 $230 $51,836 1.6 yrs
245 Capitol Technology University A $20,264 $230 $85,035 0.5 yrs
246 University of Alaska - Fairbanks D $20,291 $231 $48,866 2.2 yrs
247 Aurora University C $20,318 $231 $58,709 1.1 yrs
248 University of Central Arkansas Arkansas F $20,346 $231 $45,938 3.2 yrs
249 Valley City State University C $20,369 $232 $52,725 1.5 yrs
250 Delta State University F $20,390 $232 $41,991 8.3 yrs
251 George Washington University A $20,449 $233 $90,873 0.4 yrs
252 University of Northern Colorado Colorado C $20,470 $233 $52,231 1.6 yrs
253 Illinois State University B $20,482 $233 $62,117 0.9 yrs
254 University of Wisconsin–Madison Wisconsin B $20,484 $233 $73,792 0.6 yrs
255 University of Wisconsin–Parkside Wisconsin D $20,492 $233 $51,129 1.8 yrs
256 University of Wisconsin - River Falls C $20,500 $233 $54,458 1.4 yrs
257 Wichita State University Kansas D $20,500 $233 $51,532 1.7 yrs
258 Taylor University C $20,500 $233 $52,198 1.6 yrs
259 University of Mary Washington Virginia C $20,500 $233 $60,613 1 yrs
260 Chapman University California B $20,500 $233 $70,070 0.7 yrs
261 Murray State University Kentucky F $20,500 $233 $44,737 3.9 yrs
262 University of Tennessee, Knoxville C $20,500 $233 $60,249 1 yrs
263 Evergreen State College F $20,500 $233 $45,320 3.5 yrs
264 Southwest Minnesota State University D $20,500 $233 $51,342 1.7 yrs
265 University of Louisville C $20,500 $233 $53,899 1.4 yrs
266 University of Hawaii at Hilo D $20,500 $233 $47,856 2.5 yrs
267 New York University New York A $20,500 $233 $82,509 0.5 yrs
268 University of Minnesota - Crookston C $20,500 $233 $58,056 1.1 yrs
269 University of Texas at San Antonio Texas C $20,500 $233 $57,131 1.2 yrs
270 Oklahoma State University C $20,500 $233 $57,413 1.2 yrs

Low debt has two very different causes

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.

What the debt figure leaves out

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.

Questions

Which US university tops this list?
University of Oregon — $61,324 median earnings against $20,139 of debt, clearing in about 0.9 years.
How much do US students typically borrow?
Across the 795 universities we grade, median debt at graduation is $22,500 — about $256 a month on the standard ten-year federal plan.
Can scholarships change these numbers?
Directly. Every award comes off the borrowing before you ever repay it, which shortens the payback on each university page. Each page lists the scholarships we hold for that institution.
All payback rankings Fastest payback Highest earnings Scholarships that cut the debt How we calculate this

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.