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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 451 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri | A | $23,250 | $264 | $82,957 | 0.5 yrs |
| 452 | University of Dayton Ohio | B | $23,250 | $264 | $75,537 | 0.7 yrs |
| 453 | The College of New Jersey New Jersey | B | $23,250 | $264 | $73,323 | 0.7 yrs |
| 454 | University of Detroit Mercy Michigan | B | $23,250 | $264 | $71,030 | 0.7 yrs |
| 455 | Pace University New York | B | $23,250 | $264 | $70,378 | 0.8 yrs |
| 456 | Furman University South Carolina | B | $23,250 | $264 | $68,635 | 0.8 yrs |
| 457 | Michigan State University Michigan | B | $23,250 | $264 | $67,253 | 0.8 yrs |
| 458 | Xavier University Ohio | B | $23,250 | $264 | $64,873 | 0.9 yrs |
| 459 | Westmont College California | B | $23,250 | $264 | $64,778 | 0.9 yrs |
| 460 | Wheaton College Illinois | B | $23,250 | $264 | $63,756 | 1 yrs |
| 461 | University of Baltimore Maryland | C | $23,250 | $264 | $61,335 | 1.1 yrs |
| 462 | College of Charleston South Carolina | C | $23,250 | $264 | $56,416 | 1.4 yrs |
| 463 | South Dakota State University South Dakota | C | $23,250 | $264 | $55,070 | 1.5 yrs |
| 464 | Georgia Southern University Georgia | D | $23,250 | $264 | $53,236 | 1.7 yrs |
| 465 | East Texas Baptist University Texas | D | $23,250 | $264 | $52,788 | 1.8 yrs |
| 466 | Chatham University Pennsylvania | D | $23,250 | $264 | $52,410 | 1.8 yrs |
| 467 | Ball State University Indiana | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,833 | 1.9 yrs |
| 468 | Eureka College Illinois | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,641 | 1.9 yrs |
| 469 | Stetson University Florida | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,642 | 1.9 yrs |
| 470 | Kansas Wesleyan University Kansas | D | $23,250 | $264 | $51,152 | 2 yrs |
| 471 | Lake Superior State University Michigan | D | $23,250 | $264 | $49,045 | 2.4 yrs |
| 472 | University of Akron Ohio | F | $23,250 | $264 | $46,600 | 3.3 yrs |
| 473 | Marshall University West Virginia | F | $23,250 | $264 | $46,354 | 3.4 yrs |
| 474 | University of Memphis Tennessee | D | $23,300 | $265 | $48,458 | 2.6 yrs |
| 475 | New York Institute of Technology New York | B | $23,334 | $265 | $70,080 | 0.8 yrs |
| 476 | Stephen F. Austin State University Texas | D | $23,409 | $266 | $49,634 | 2.3 yrs |
| 477 | Earlham College Indiana | D | $23,488 | $267 | $50,797 | 2.1 yrs |
| 478 | Connecticut College Connecticut | B | $23,500 | $267 | $75,001 | 0.7 yrs |
| 479 | University of La Verne California | B | $23,500 | $267 | $65,464 | 0.9 yrs |
| 480 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | C | $23,500 | $267 | $61,258 | 1.1 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.