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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 361 | Georgian Court University New Jersey | C | $21,816 | $248 | $53,096 | 1.6 yrs |
| 362 | University of Denver Colorado | B | $21,844 | $248 | $71,155 | 0.7 yrs |
| 363 | Western Carolina University North Carolina | D | $21,868 | $249 | $49,458 | 2.2 yrs |
| 364 | Peru State College Nebraska | F | $21,875 | $249 | $47,071 | 2.9 yrs |
| 365 | Southern Nazarene University Oklahoma | C | $21,900 | $249 | $54,951 | 1.4 yrs |
| 366 | Lehigh University Pennsylvania | A | $21,960 | $250 | $105,584 | 0.3 yrs |
| 367 | University of Massachusetts Boston Massachusetts | B | $21,974 | $250 | $65,865 | 0.8 yrs |
| 368 | University of Wisconsin - Platteville Wisconsin | C | $21,977 | $250 | $61,760 | 1 yrs |
| 369 | University of Idaho Idaho | C | $21,982 | $250 | $54,670 | 1.5 yrs |
| 370 | Sam Houston State University Texas | C | $21,983 | $250 | $54,211 | 1.5 yrs |
| 371 | William Woods University Missouri | F | $21,983 | $250 | $42,401 | 7.6 yrs |
| 372 | Jacksonville University Florida | B | $22,000 | $250 | $68,010 | 0.8 yrs |
| 373 | Colorado Mesa University Colorado | F | $22,000 | $250 | $45,823 | 3.5 yrs |
| 374 | Montclair State University New Jersey | C | $22,000 | $250 | $61,415 | 1 yrs |
| 375 | Roosevelt University Illinois | D | $22,000 | $250 | $48,712 | 2.4 yrs |
| 376 | Hawaii Pacific University Hawaii | C | $22,000 | $250 | $59,593 | 1.1 yrs |
| 377 | University of Arkansas - Little Rock Arkansas | F | $22,000 | $250 | $45,265 | 3.8 yrs |
| 378 | University of Minnesota - Duluth Minnesota | B | $22,024 | $250 | $62,616 | 1 yrs |
| 379 | University of North Dakota North Dakota | B | $22,057 | $251 | $63,552 | 0.9 yrs |
| 380 | Western Kentucky University Kentucky | F | $22,095 | $251 | $43,889 | 5.1 yrs |
| 381 | Southeastern Louisiana University Louisiana | F | $22,113 | $251 | $46,482 | 3.2 yrs |
| 382 | Grand Canyon University Arizona | F | $22,114 | $251 | $42,186 | 8.3 yrs |
| 383 | Louisiana Tech University Louisiana | D | $22,135 | $252 | $52,279 | 1.7 yrs |
| 384 | Mississippi State University Mississippi | D | $22,142 | $252 | $51,513 | 1.9 yrs |
| 385 | Northern Illinois University Illinois | C | $22,162 | $252 | $57,808 | 1.2 yrs |
| 386 | Jacksonville State University Alabama | F | $22,189 | $252 | $45,235 | 3.9 yrs |
| 387 | Saint Xavier University Illinois | C | $22,223 | $253 | $58,656 | 1.2 yrs |
| 388 | Morehead State University Kentucky | F | $22,250 | $253 | $43,197 | 6.1 yrs |
| 389 | Southern Connecticut State University Connecticut | C | $22,250 | $253 | $55,043 | 1.4 yrs |
| 390 | University of Toledo Ohio | D | $22,250 | $253 | $50,632 | 2 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.