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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 751 | Columbus State University Georgia | F | $26,000 | $296 | $44,544 | 5.2 yrs |
| 752 | Bethany College West Virginia | F | $27,000 | $307 | $44,512 | 5.4 yrs |
| 753 | University of Montana Montana | F | $22,400 | $255 | $44,511 | 4.5 yrs |
| 754 | Regent University Virginia | F | $24,534 | $279 | $44,498 | 4.9 yrs |
| 755 | University of Maine at Farmington Maine | F | $24,499 | $279 | $44,433 | 5 yrs |
| 756 | American Public University System West Virginia | F | $21,743 | $247 | $44,409 | 4.5 yrs |
| 757 | Auburn University at Montgomery Alabama | F | $25,000 | $284 | $44,391 | 5.1 yrs |
| 758 | University of the Ozarks Arkansas | F | $20,875 | $237 | $44,384 | 4.3 yrs |
| 759 | Bob Jones University South Carolina | F | $16,585 | $189 | $44,354 | 3.4 yrs |
| 760 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida | F | $23,548 | $268 | $44,349 | 4.9 yrs |
| 761 | Austin Peay State University Tennessee | F | $20,547 | $234 | $44,301 | 4.3 yrs |
| 762 | Montana State University - Billings Montana | F | $18,209 | $207 | $44,296 | 3.8 yrs |
| 763 | University of the District of Columbia District of Columbia | F | $24,872 | $283 | $44,236 | 5.3 yrs |
| 764 | Lyon College Arkansas | F | $21,500 | $244 | $44,232 | 4.6 yrs |
| 765 | University of West Alabama Alabama | F | $24,944 | $284 | $44,232 | 5.3 yrs |
| 766 | University of Tennessee, Martin Tennessee | F | $21,024 | $239 | $44,213 | 4.5 yrs |
| 767 | University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi | F | $22,500 | $256 | $44,140 | 4.9 yrs |
| 768 | University of North Carolina at Asheville North Carolina | F | $20,500 | $233 | $44,030 | 4.6 yrs |
| 769 | Southeast Missouri State University Missouri | F | $21,500 | $244 | $44,030 | 4.8 yrs |
| 770 | Western Kentucky University Kentucky | F | $22,095 | $251 | $43,889 | 5.1 yrs |
| 771 | Community College of Baltimore County Maryland | F | $11,528 | $131 | $43,729 | 2.7 yrs |
| 772 | Florida Southwestern State College Florida | D | $8,000 | $91 | $43,421 | 2.1 yrs |
| 773 | Davis & Elkins College West Virginia | F | $27,000 | $307 | $43,411 | 6.9 yrs |
| 774 | The University of North Carolina at Pembroke North Carolina | F | $25,000 | $284 | $43,407 | 6.4 yrs |
| 775 | Seattle Central College Washington | F | $12,000 | $136 | $43,307 | 3.2 yrs |
| 776 | Mercer County Community College New Jersey | F | $10,500 | $119 | $43,264 | 2.8 yrs |
| 777 | Morehead State University Kentucky | F | $22,250 | $253 | $43,197 | 6.1 yrs |
| 778 | Lincoln University Pennsylvania | F | $28,250 | $321 | $43,167 | 7.8 yrs |
| 779 | Berea College Kentucky | C | $3,591 | $41 | $43,150 | 1 yrs |
| 780 | Florida Institute of Technology Florida | F | $27,000 | $307 | $43,137 | 7.5 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.