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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 601 | Dakota State University South Dakota | D | $23,500 | $267 | $50,970 | 2.1 yrs |
| 602 | University of Texas at El Paso Texas | C | $18,000 | $205 | $50,923 | 1.6 yrs |
| 603 | University of Minnesota - Morris Minnesota | C | $18,995 | $216 | $50,919 | 1.7 yrs |
| 604 | Webster University Missouri | D | $23,000 | $262 | $50,876 | 2 yrs |
| 605 | Earlham College Indiana | D | $23,488 | $267 | $50,797 | 2.1 yrs |
| 606 | Dickinson State University North Dakota | C | $18,442 | $210 | $50,720 | 1.7 yrs |
| 607 | University of Advancing Technology Arizona | D | $28,812 | $328 | $50,719 | 2.6 yrs |
| 608 | Morgan State University Maryland | D | $27,250 | $310 | $50,698 | 2.4 yrs |
| 609 | University of Toledo Ohio | D | $22,250 | $253 | $50,632 | 2 yrs |
| 610 | Pittsburg State University Kansas | D | $18,969 | $216 | $50,579 | 1.7 yrs |
| 611 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Minnesota | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,527 | 1.8 yrs |
| 612 | Colorado Christian University Colorado | D | $28,312 | $322 | $50,416 | 2.6 yrs |
| 613 | Quincy University Illinois | D | $24,000 | $273 | $50,369 | 2.2 yrs |
| 614 | Centenary College of Louisiana Louisiana | D | $27,000 | $307 | $50,330 | 2.5 yrs |
| 615 | University of Bridgeport Connecticut | D | $25,750 | $293 | $50,323 | 2.4 yrs |
| 616 | Southern New Hampshire University New Hampshire | D | $21,082 | $240 | $50,318 | 2 yrs |
| 617 | Southern Utah University Utah | C | $12,500 | $142 | $50,296 | 1.2 yrs |
| 618 | Athens State University Alabama | C | $18,051 | $205 | $50,273 | 1.7 yrs |
| 619 | Northern Kentucky University Kentucky | D | $23,000 | $262 | $50,220 | 2.2 yrs |
| 620 | Montgomery College Maryland | C | $10,415 | $118 | $50,159 | 1 yrs |
| 621 | University of North Georgia Georgia | C | $17,750 | $202 | $50,135 | 1.7 yrs |
| 622 | Angelo State University Texas | D | $20,000 | $227 | $50,116 | 1.9 yrs |
| 623 | University of Nebraska Kearney Nebraska | D | $19,500 | $222 | $50,105 | 1.8 yrs |
| 624 | Geneva College Pennsylvania | D | $25,198 | $287 | $50,004 | 2.4 yrs |
| 625 | University of Southern Maine Maine | D | $19,060 | $217 | $49,958 | 1.8 yrs |
| 626 | Washburn University Kansas | D | $18,127 | $206 | $49,774 | 1.8 yrs |
| 627 | San Diego Christian College California | D | $24,941 | $284 | $49,766 | 2.4 yrs |
| 628 | Lamar University Texas | D | $21,250 | $242 | $49,652 | 2.1 yrs |
| 629 | Tuskegee University Alabama | D | $27,000 | $307 | $49,641 | 2.7 yrs |
| 630 | Stephen F. Austin State University Texas | D | $23,409 | $266 | $49,634 | 2.3 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.