Ordered by median federal debt at graduation — smallest loan first, with what graduates go on to earn beside it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | St. Mary's College of Maryland Maryland | C | $21,000 | $239 | $60,110 | 1 yrs |
| 302 | Ramapo College of New Jersey New Jersey | B | $21,000 | $239 | $67,541 | 0.8 yrs |
| 303 | University of Richmond Virginia | A | $21,000 | $239 | $76,178 | 0.6 yrs |
| 304 | Arkansas Tech University Arkansas | F | $21,000 | $239 | $41,766 | 9.4 yrs |
| 305 | University of Central Missouri Missouri | D | $21,000 | $239 | $49,560 | 2.1 yrs |
| 306 | Salisbury University Maryland | B | $21,000 | $239 | $61,515 | 1 yrs |
| 307 | Lesley University Massachusetts | D | $21,000 | $239 | $51,173 | 1.8 yrs |
| 308 | University of Rochester New York | A | $21,000 | $239 | $79,042 | 0.5 yrs |
| 309 | Texas State University Texas | C | $21,000 | $239 | $56,906 | 1.2 yrs |
| 310 | University of Kansas Kansas | B | $21,000 | $239 | $61,945 | 0.9 yrs |
| 311 | University of Nebraska, Lincoln Nebraska | C | $21,000 | $239 | $56,887 | 1.2 yrs |
| 312 | University of Tennessee, Martin Tennessee | F | $21,024 | $239 | $44,213 | 4.5 yrs |
| 313 | Midwestern State University Texas | C | $21,030 | $239 | $55,747 | 1.3 yrs |
| 314 | Ohio University Ohio | C | $21,056 | $239 | $52,581 | 1.6 yrs |
| 315 | Saint Cloud State University Minnesota | C | $21,058 | $239 | $55,813 | 1.3 yrs |
| 316 | Southern New Hampshire University New Hampshire | D | $21,082 | $240 | $50,318 | 2 yrs |
| 317 | Frostburg State University Maryland | C | $21,105 | $240 | $55,493 | 1.3 yrs |
| 318 | Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota | C | $21,106 | $240 | $56,922 | 1.2 yrs |
| 319 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh New York | C | $21,196 | $241 | $56,403 | 1.3 yrs |
| 320 | Oregon State University Oregon | B | $21,221 | $241 | $64,010 | 0.9 yrs |
| 321 | Purdue University Northwest Indiana | D | $21,229 | $241 | $48,318 | 2.4 yrs |
| 322 | John Brown University Arkansas | C | $21,250 | $242 | $53,907 | 1.5 yrs |
| 323 | Kansas State University Kansas | C | $21,250 | $242 | $57,262 | 1.2 yrs |
| 324 | Wayne State University Michigan | C | $21,250 | $242 | $53,493 | 1.5 yrs |
| 325 | University of Cincinnati Ohio | C | $21,250 | $242 | $54,810 | 1.4 yrs |
| 326 | Lamar University Texas | D | $21,250 | $242 | $49,652 | 2.1 yrs |
| 327 | Columbia Southern University Alabama | B | $21,339 | $243 | $63,534 | 0.9 yrs |
| 328 | Indiana University at South Bend Indiana | F | $21,355 | $243 | $44,947 | 3.9 yrs |
| 329 | University of Portland Oregon | A | $21,370 | $243 | $82,804 | 0.5 yrs |
| 330 | Northern Michigan University Michigan | F | $21,474 | $244 | $47,107 | 2.8 yrs |
A university can leave students with little debt because it is genuinely affordable — strong institutional aid, low in-state tuition — or because so few of its students borrow that the median falls to a handful of cases. The earnings column beside it is what separates the two.
It counts federal loans only. Private loans, credit cards and parent borrowing sit outside the dataset, so a family that financed college another way appears here as low debt.
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.