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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 481 | Dakota State University South Dakota | D | $23,500 | $267 | $50,970 | 2.1 yrs |
| 482 | Antioch University Ohio | D | $23,501 | $267 | $51,541 | 2 yrs |
| 483 | Antioch University - Los Angeles California | D | $23,501 | $267 | $51,541 | 2 yrs |
| 484 | Antioch University - Seattle Washington | D | $23,501 | $267 | $51,541 | 2 yrs |
| 485 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | C | $23,507 | $267 | $55,246 | 1.5 yrs |
| 486 | Pepperdine University California | A | $23,510 | $267 | $82,939 | 0.5 yrs |
| 487 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida | F | $23,548 | $268 | $44,349 | 4.9 yrs |
| 488 | Long Island University New York | C | $23,577 | $268 | $59,950 | 1.2 yrs |
| 489 | University of South Dakota South Dakota | D | $23,592 | $268 | $51,926 | 1.9 yrs |
| 490 | Hofstra University New York | B | $23,621 | $269 | $69,039 | 0.8 yrs |
| 491 | Saint Mary's College of California California | B | $23,691 | $269 | $78,812 | 0.6 yrs |
| 492 | Mount Mercy University Iowa | C | $23,699 | $269 | $60,787 | 1.1 yrs |
| 493 | University of Massachusetts at Lowell Massachusetts | B | $23,704 | $270 | $64,874 | 0.9 yrs |
| 494 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute New York | A | $23,750 | $270 | $102,051 | 0.4 yrs |
| 495 | Coastal Carolina University South Carolina | F | $23,750 | $270 | $47,258 | 3.1 yrs |
| 496 | Hamline University Minnesota | C | $23,770 | $270 | $61,106 | 1.1 yrs |
| 497 | Kennesaw State University Georgia | C | $23,833 | $271 | $57,552 | 1.3 yrs |
| 498 | Biola University California | C | $23,875 | $271 | $56,778 | 1.4 yrs |
| 499 | Tabor College Kansas | C | $23,887 | $272 | $54,058 | 1.6 yrs |
| 500 | Marquette University Wisconsin | B | $23,940 | $272 | $78,257 | 0.6 yrs |
| 501 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania | D | $23,961 | $272 | $52,567 | 1.8 yrs |
| 502 | University of West Georgia Georgia | D | $23,970 | $273 | $49,587 | 2.4 yrs |
| 503 | Case Western Reserve University Ohio | A | $24,000 | $273 | $87,989 | 0.5 yrs |
| 504 | Seattle Pacific University Washington | B | $24,000 | $273 | $64,506 | 1 yrs |
| 505 | Ithaca College New York | C | $24,000 | $273 | $63,548 | 1 yrs |
| 506 | Old Dominion University Virginia | C | $24,000 | $273 | $54,914 | 1.6 yrs |
| 507 | Radford University Virginia | D | $24,000 | $273 | $53,739 | 1.7 yrs |
| 508 | Quincy University Illinois | D | $24,000 | $273 | $50,369 | 2.2 yrs |
| 509 | Indiana State University Indiana | F | $24,000 | $273 | $48,387 | 2.7 yrs |
| 510 | Youngstown State University Ohio | F | $24,000 | $273 | $41,544 | 11.9 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.