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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 541 | Ashland University Ohio | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,928 | 1.9 yrs |
| 542 | Harding University Arkansas | D | $26,500 | $301 | $52,876 | 2 yrs |
| 543 | East Texas Baptist University Texas | D | $23,250 | $264 | $52,788 | 1.8 yrs |
| 544 | Upper Iowa University Iowa | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,766 | 1.9 yrs |
| 545 | New Jersey City University New Jersey | C | $18,500 | $210 | $52,745 | 1.4 yrs |
| 546 | Valley City State University North Dakota | C | $20,369 | $232 | $52,725 | 1.5 yrs |
| 547 | Ohio University Ohio | C | $21,056 | $239 | $52,581 | 1.6 yrs |
| 548 | Illinois College Illinois | D | $25,565 | $291 | $52,575 | 2 yrs |
| 549 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania | D | $23,961 | $272 | $52,567 | 1.8 yrs |
| 550 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Wisconsin | C | $18,500 | $210 | $52,528 | 1.4 yrs |
| 551 | Chatham University Pennsylvania | D | $23,250 | $264 | $52,410 | 1.8 yrs |
| 552 | Longwood University Virginia | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,347 | 2 yrs |
| 553 | La Roche University Pennsylvania | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,341 | 2 yrs |
| 554 | Louisiana Tech University Louisiana | D | $22,135 | $252 | $52,279 | 1.7 yrs |
| 555 | University of Northern Colorado Colorado | C | $20,470 | $233 | $52,231 | 1.6 yrs |
| 556 | Taylor University Indiana | C | $20,500 | $233 | $52,198 | 1.6 yrs |
| 557 | Xavier University of Louisiana Louisiana | D | $24,053 | $273 | $52,184 | 1.9 yrs |
| 558 | Midland University Nebraska | D | $26,134 | $297 | $52,163 | 2.1 yrs |
| 559 | Cleveland State University Ohio | D | $21,797 | $248 | $52,131 | 1.7 yrs |
| 560 | Friends University Kansas | D | $25,000 | $284 | $52,113 | 2 yrs |
| 561 | Brigham Young University Hawaii Hawaii | B | $9,413 | $107 | $52,064 | 0.8 yrs |
| 562 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Wisconsin | D | $21,503 | $244 | $52,021 | 1.7 yrs |
| 563 | Eastern Illinois University Illinois | D | $21,500 | $244 | $51,989 | 1.7 yrs |
| 564 | Saginaw Valley State University Michigan | D | $25,000 | $284 | $51,955 | 2 yrs |
| 565 | Goshen College Indiana | D | $22,974 | $261 | $51,943 | 1.9 yrs |
| 566 | Sweet Briar College Virginia | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,943 | 2.2 yrs |
| 567 | University of South Dakota South Dakota | D | $23,592 | $268 | $51,926 | 1.9 yrs |
| 568 | Franklin University Ohio | C | $20,836 | $237 | $51,892 | 1.7 yrs |
| 569 | University of Alaska - Anchorage Alaska | C | $20,210 | $230 | $51,871 | 1.6 yrs |
| 570 | Appalachian State University North Carolina | C | $20,231 | $230 | $51,836 | 1.6 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.