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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 631 | The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley Texas | C | $12,950 | $147 | $49,620 | 1.3 yrs |
| 632 | University of Wisconsin - Superior Wisconsin | D | $22,500 | $256 | $49,606 | 2.2 yrs |
| 633 | Huntingdon College Alabama | D | $27,000 | $307 | $49,601 | 2.7 yrs |
| 634 | University of West Georgia Georgia | D | $23,970 | $273 | $49,587 | 2.4 yrs |
| 635 | Aquinas College Michigan | D | $23,000 | $262 | $49,584 | 2.3 yrs |
| 636 | University of Central Missouri Missouri | D | $21,000 | $239 | $49,560 | 2.1 yrs |
| 637 | Montana State University - Northern Montana | D | $18,500 | $210 | $49,505 | 1.9 yrs |
| 638 | Wright State University Ohio | D | $22,750 | $259 | $49,500 | 2.3 yrs |
| 639 | Western Carolina University North Carolina | D | $21,868 | $249 | $49,458 | 2.2 yrs |
| 640 | University of South Alabama Alabama | D | $24,929 | $283 | $49,379 | 2.5 yrs |
| 641 | Bastyr University Washington | C | $13,817 | $157 | $49,364 | 1.4 yrs |
| 642 | Valdosta State University Georgia | D | $24,779 | $282 | $49,361 | 2.5 yrs |
| 643 | Delaware State University Delaware | D | $26,000 | $296 | $49,307 | 2.7 yrs |
| 644 | Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma | F | $26,000 | $296 | $49,203 | 2.7 yrs |
| 645 | Irvine Valley College California | B | $6,500 | $74 | $49,156 | 0.7 yrs |
| 646 | Buena Vista University Iowa | D | $25,000 | $284 | $49,156 | 2.6 yrs |
| 647 | University of West Florida Florida | D | $16,624 | $189 | $49,137 | 1.7 yrs |
| 648 | Marymount Manhattan College New York | D | $25,750 | $293 | $49,131 | 2.7 yrs |
| 649 | Lake Superior State University Michigan | D | $23,250 | $264 | $49,045 | 2.4 yrs |
| 650 | Rocky Mountain College Montana | F | $26,000 | $296 | $49,036 | 2.7 yrs |
| 651 | Howard Community College Maryland | C | $10,500 | $119 | $49,020 | 1.1 yrs |
| 652 | Lynn University Florida | D | $17,940 | $204 | $49,006 | 1.9 yrs |
| 653 | Fort Hays State University Kansas | D | $21,000 | $239 | $48,928 | 2.2 yrs |
| 654 | University of Alaska - Fairbanks Alaska | D | $20,291 | $231 | $48,866 | 2.2 yrs |
| 655 | McMurry University Texas | F | $27,000 | $307 | $48,779 | 2.9 yrs |
| 656 | Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia | D | $18,851 | $214 | $48,757 | 2 yrs |
| 657 | Roosevelt University Illinois | D | $22,000 | $250 | $48,712 | 2.4 yrs |
| 658 | New England Institute of Technology Rhode Island | D | $16,668 | $190 | $48,684 | 1.8 yrs |
| 659 | Our Lady of the Lake University Texas | F | $24,999 | $284 | $48,675 | 2.7 yrs |
| 660 | University of Maine Maine | F | $25,000 | $284 | $48,653 | 2.7 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.