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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 391 | Rockford University Illinois | C | $22,274 | $253 | $54,794 | 1.5 yrs |
| 392 | Central Connecticut State University Connecticut | C | $22,300 | $254 | $58,562 | 1.2 yrs |
| 393 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama | C | $22,300 | $254 | $54,501 | 1.5 yrs |
| 394 | Northern State University South Dakota | F | $22,320 | $254 | $47,618 | 2.8 yrs |
| 395 | University of Montana Montana | F | $22,400 | $255 | $44,511 | 4.5 yrs |
| 396 | Oregon Institute of Technology Oregon | B | $22,500 | $256 | $72,273 | 0.7 yrs |
| 397 | University of Iowa Iowa | B | $22,500 | $256 | $64,762 | 0.9 yrs |
| 398 | Benedictine University Illinois | B | $22,500 | $256 | $63,446 | 0.9 yrs |
| 399 | Saint Martin's University Washington | C | $22,500 | $256 | $62,092 | 1 yrs |
| 400 | University of Michigan - Dearborn Michigan | C | $22,500 | $256 | $59,649 | 1.1 yrs |
| 401 | University of Kentucky Kentucky | C | $22,500 | $256 | $59,025 | 1.2 yrs |
| 402 | West Virginia University West Virginia | C | $22,500 | $256 | $55,939 | 1.4 yrs |
| 403 | Campbell University North Carolina | C | $22,500 | $256 | $54,886 | 1.5 yrs |
| 404 | Montana State University Montana | C | $22,500 | $256 | $53,263 | 1.6 yrs |
| 405 | University of Wisconsin - Superior Wisconsin | D | $22,500 | $256 | $49,606 | 2.2 yrs |
| 406 | Eastern Kentucky University Kentucky | F | $22,500 | $256 | $45,795 | 3.6 yrs |
| 407 | University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi | F | $22,500 | $256 | $44,140 | 4.9 yrs |
| 408 | Pacific Lutheran University Washington | B | $22,578 | $257 | $66,990 | 0.8 yrs |
| 409 | Nicholls State University Louisiana | F | $22,675 | $258 | $45,454 | 3.8 yrs |
| 410 | American University District of Columbia | B | $22,750 | $259 | $77,370 | 0.6 yrs |
| 411 | Seton Hall University New Jersey | B | $22,750 | $259 | $70,196 | 0.7 yrs |
| 412 | King University Tennessee | C | $22,750 | $259 | $59,831 | 1.1 yrs |
| 413 | University of Alabama Alabama | C | $22,750 | $259 | $59,221 | 1.2 yrs |
| 414 | Oakland University Michigan | C | $22,750 | $259 | $58,612 | 1.2 yrs |
| 415 | East Carolina University North Carolina | C | $22,750 | $259 | $55,146 | 1.5 yrs |
| 416 | Wright State University Ohio | D | $22,750 | $259 | $49,500 | 2.3 yrs |
| 417 | University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts | B | $22,763 | $259 | $71,631 | 0.7 yrs |
| 418 | The University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina | D | $22,858 | $260 | $48,160 | 2.7 yrs |
| 419 | Iowa State University Iowa | B | $22,869 | $260 | $63,386 | 1 yrs |
| 420 | Mount Holyoke College Massachusetts | C | $22,902 | $260 | $58,418 | 1.2 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.