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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | Towson University Maryland | B | $18,718 | $213 | $64,390 | 0.8 yrs |
| 242 | University of California, Merced California | B | $16,144 | $184 | $64,368 | 0.7 yrs |
| 243 | California State University, Chico California | B | $16,552 | $188 | $64,172 | 0.7 yrs |
| 244 | Mount St. Mary's University Maryland | C | $25,391 | $289 | $64,072 | 1 yrs |
| 245 | Smith College Massachusetts | B | $17,550 | $200 | $64,027 | 0.7 yrs |
| 246 | Oregon State University Oregon | B | $21,221 | $241 | $64,010 | 0.9 yrs |
| 247 | Macalester College Minnesota | B | $23,000 | $262 | $63,878 | 0.9 yrs |
| 248 | Wheaton College Illinois | B | $23,250 | $264 | $63,756 | 1 yrs |
| 249 | Indiana University Bloomington Indiana | B | $19,509 | $222 | $63,742 | 0.8 yrs |
| 250 | Temple University Pennsylvania | C | $24,395 | $277 | $63,727 | 1 yrs |
| 251 | Drew University New Jersey | C | $25,288 | $288 | $63,646 | 1.1 yrs |
| 252 | University of North Dakota North Dakota | B | $22,057 | $251 | $63,552 | 0.9 yrs |
| 253 | Ithaca College New York | C | $24,000 | $273 | $63,548 | 1 yrs |
| 254 | Columbia Southern University Alabama | B | $21,339 | $243 | $63,534 | 0.9 yrs |
| 255 | Simmons University Massachusetts | C | $24,840 | $282 | $63,494 | 1 yrs |
| 256 | Wilkes University Pennsylvania | C | $26,000 | $296 | $63,454 | 1.1 yrs |
| 257 | Benedictine University Illinois | B | $22,500 | $256 | $63,446 | 0.9 yrs |
| 258 | Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania | C | $25,000 | $284 | $63,435 | 1.1 yrs |
| 259 | Iowa State University Iowa | B | $22,869 | $260 | $63,386 | 1 yrs |
| 260 | College of Saint Benedict Minnesota | C | $26,944 | $306 | $63,260 | 1.1 yrs |
| 261 | University of Texas at Arlington Texas | B | $17,527 | $199 | $63,199 | 0.7 yrs |
| 262 | Valparaiso University Indiana | C | $26,942 | $306 | $63,191 | 1.1 yrs |
| 263 | California State University, Stanislaus California | A | $13,540 | $154 | $63,188 | 0.6 yrs |
| 264 | Howard University District of Columbia | C | $24,500 | $279 | $63,066 | 1 yrs |
| 265 | California State University, Fullerton California | B | $13,750 | $156 | $62,951 | 0.6 yrs |
| 266 | Reed College Oregon | B | $21,500 | $244 | $62,927 | 0.9 yrs |
| 267 | California State University, San Marcos California | B | $17,350 | $197 | $62,908 | 0.7 yrs |
| 268 | Emerson College Massachusetts | C | $23,000 | $262 | $62,832 | 1 yrs |
| 269 | Grinnell College Iowa | B | $17,500 | $199 | $62,830 | 0.8 yrs |
| 270 | Le Moyne College New York | C | $23,000 | $262 | $62,731 | 1 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.