Ordered by median earnings ten years after entry — with the debt each cohort carries, because a big salary against a bigger loan is not a win. The typical graded US university clears its debt in 1.3 years on median earnings of $57,146 against $22,500 of debt.
| # | University | Grade | You borrow | Monthly | You earn | Debt clears in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 271 | Lebanon Valley College Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $62,621 | 1.2 yrs |
| 272 | University of Minnesota - Duluth Minnesota | B | $22,024 | $250 | $62,616 | 1 yrs |
| 273 | Western Washington University Washington | B | $18,500 | $210 | $62,569 | 0.8 yrs |
| 274 | University of Vermont Vermont | B | $20,951 | $238 | $62,472 | 0.9 yrs |
| 275 | Texas Tech University Texas | B | $21,500 | $244 | $62,454 | 0.9 yrs |
| 276 | Elizabethtown College Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $62,399 | 1.2 yrs |
| 277 | Clark University Massachusetts | C | $26,759 | $304 | $62,381 | 1.2 yrs |
| 278 | University of Houston Texas | B | $18,194 | $207 | $62,377 | 0.8 yrs |
| 279 | Rider University New Jersey | C | $26,130 | $297 | $62,208 | 1.2 yrs |
| 280 | Lewis & Clark College Oregon | B | $19,500 | $222 | $62,205 | 0.9 yrs |
| 281 | North Dakota State University North Dakota | C | $23,199 | $264 | $62,203 | 1 yrs |
| 282 | California State University Channel Islands California | B | $15,000 | $171 | $62,152 | 0.7 yrs |
| 283 | Illinois State University Illinois | B | $20,482 | $233 | $62,117 | 0.9 yrs |
| 284 | Robert Morris University Pennsylvania | C | $26,950 | $306 | $62,105 | 1.2 yrs |
| 285 | Saint Martin's University Washington | C | $22,500 | $256 | $62,092 | 1 yrs |
| 286 | Stevenson University Maryland | C | $26,000 | $296 | $62,079 | 1.2 yrs |
| 287 | Allegheny College Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $62,069 | 1.2 yrs |
| 288 | University of Kansas Kansas | B | $21,000 | $239 | $61,945 | 0.9 yrs |
| 289 | Walla Walla University Washington | C | $26,842 | $305 | $61,885 | 1.2 yrs |
| 290 | Lake Forest College Illinois | C | $26,158 | $297 | $61,825 | 1.2 yrs |
| 291 | La Sierra University California | C | $27,000 | $307 | $61,824 | 1.2 yrs |
| 292 | Carroll College Montana | C | $25,757 | $293 | $61,772 | 1.2 yrs |
| 293 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville Wisconsin | C | $21,977 | $250 | $61,760 | 1 yrs |
| 294 | Susquehanna University Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $61,723 | 1.2 yrs |
| 295 | Florida State University Florida | B | $18,000 | $205 | $61,675 | 0.8 yrs |
| 296 | Central Washington University Washington | B | $19,500 | $222 | $61,580 | 0.9 yrs |
| 297 | Salisbury University Maryland | B | $21,000 | $239 | $61,515 | 1 yrs |
| 298 | California Baptist University California | C | $26,063 | $296 | $61,504 | 1.2 yrs |
| 299 | Montclair State University New Jersey | C | $22,000 | $250 | $61,415 | 1 yrs |
| 300 | University of Tulsa Oklahoma | C | $21,500 | $244 | $61,408 | 1 yrs |
Several universities near the top of this list also carry some of the heaviest borrowing in the country. Earning well while repaying heavily is not obviously better than earning less with nothing to repay — which is why the debt column sits right beside the salary.
The earnings figure blends every subject a university teaches. A campus that teaches nothing but medicine or engineering reports the medicine or engineering number; a broad university reports a blended one, however strong its individual departments are.
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.