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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 571 | Ball State University Indiana | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,833 | 1.9 yrs |
| 572 | Eastern Michigan University Michigan | D | $25,000 | $284 | $51,793 | 2 yrs |
| 573 | Minot State University North Dakota | C | $19,609 | $223 | $51,759 | 1.6 yrs |
| 574 | LaGrange College Georgia | D | $25,730 | $293 | $51,745 | 2.1 yrs |
| 575 | Boise State University Idaho | D | $20,500 | $233 | $51,658 | 1.7 yrs |
| 576 | Stetson University Florida | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,642 | 1.9 yrs |
| 577 | Eureka College Illinois | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,641 | 1.9 yrs |
| 578 | West Virginia Wesleyan College West Virginia | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,593 | 2.2 yrs |
| 579 | Pfeiffer University North Carolina | D | $26,163 | $297 | $51,562 | 2.2 yrs |
| 580 | Antioch University Ohio | D | $23,501 | $267 | $51,541 | 2 yrs |
| 581 | Antioch University - Los Angeles California | D | $23,501 | $267 | $51,541 | 2 yrs |
| 582 | Antioch University - Seattle Washington | D | $23,501 | $267 | $51,541 | 2 yrs |
| 583 | Meredith College North Carolina | D | $25,000 | $284 | $51,539 | 2.1 yrs |
| 584 | Wichita State University Kansas | D | $20,500 | $233 | $51,532 | 1.7 yrs |
| 585 | Mississippi State University Mississippi | D | $22,142 | $252 | $51,513 | 1.9 yrs |
| 586 | Spring Hill College Alabama | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,500 | 2.3 yrs |
| 587 | Texas A&M University - Kingsville Texas | D | $22,934 | $261 | $51,450 | 1.9 yrs |
| 588 | Southwest Minnesota State University Minnesota | D | $20,500 | $233 | $51,342 | 1.7 yrs |
| 589 | Hastings College Nebraska | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,303 | 2.3 yrs |
| 590 | Millikin University Illinois | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,262 | 2.3 yrs |
| 591 | University of Dubuque Iowa | D | $25,750 | $293 | $51,190 | 2.2 yrs |
| 592 | Lesley University Massachusetts | D | $21,000 | $239 | $51,173 | 1.8 yrs |
| 593 | Kansas Wesleyan University Kansas | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,152 | 2 yrs |
| 594 | University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Tennessee | C | $19,500 | $222 | $51,151 | 1.7 yrs |
| 595 | University of Wisconsin–Parkside Wisconsin | D | $20,492 | $233 | $51,129 | 1.8 yrs |
| 596 | Monmouth College Illinois | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,110 | 2.3 yrs |
| 597 | University of Maine at Fort Kent Maine | D | $20,160 | $229 | $51,077 | 1.7 yrs |
| 598 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | D | $26,798 | $305 | $51,019 | 2.3 yrs |
| 599 | University of Mississippi Mississippi | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,994 | 1.7 yrs |
| 600 | University of Mississippi Medical Center Mississippi | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,994 | 1.7 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.