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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 541 | Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma | F | $24,801 | $282 | $48,434 | 2.8 yrs |
| 542 | Saint Edward's University Texas | C | $24,803 | $282 | $58,826 | 1.3 yrs |
| 543 | Eastern Mennonite University Virginia | C | $24,813 | $282 | $54,869 | 1.6 yrs |
| 544 | Simmons University Massachusetts | C | $24,840 | $282 | $63,494 | 1 yrs |
| 545 | University of the District of Columbia District of Columbia | F | $24,872 | $283 | $44,236 | 5.3 yrs |
| 546 | University of South Alabama Alabama | D | $24,929 | $283 | $49,379 | 2.5 yrs |
| 547 | Whittier College California | C | $24,937 | $284 | $59,492 | 1.3 yrs |
| 548 | San Diego Christian College California | D | $24,941 | $284 | $49,766 | 2.4 yrs |
| 549 | University of West Alabama Alabama | F | $24,944 | $284 | $44,232 | 5.3 yrs |
| 550 | Michigan Technological University Michigan | B | $24,990 | $284 | $78,198 | 0.7 yrs |
| 551 | Our Lady of the Lake University Texas | F | $24,999 | $284 | $48,675 | 2.7 yrs |
| 552 | Harvey Mudd College California | A | $25,000 | $284 | $138,687 | 0.3 yrs |
| 553 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Indiana | A | $25,000 | $284 | $101,253 | 0.4 yrs |
| 554 | Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois | A | $25,000 | $284 | $82,592 | 0.6 yrs |
| 555 | Colorado State University - Global Campus Colorado | B | $25,000 | $284 | $76,813 | 0.7 yrs |
| 556 | Adelphi University New York | B | $25,000 | $284 | $75,482 | 0.7 yrs |
| 557 | Bryn Mawr College Pennsylvania | B | $25,000 | $284 | $75,217 | 0.7 yrs |
| 558 | Sacred Heart University Connecticut | B | $25,000 | $284 | $75,059 | 0.7 yrs |
| 559 | Wagner College New York | B | $25,000 | $284 | $74,360 | 0.7 yrs |
| 560 | Creighton University Nebraska | B | $25,000 | $284 | $73,911 | 0.7 yrs |
| 561 | Regis University Colorado | B | $25,000 | $284 | $72,105 | 0.8 yrs |
| 562 | Saint Louis University Missouri | B | $25,000 | $284 | $70,783 | 0.8 yrs |
| 563 | University of Puget Sound Washington | B | $25,000 | $284 | $69,594 | 0.8 yrs |
| 564 | City University of Seattle Washington | B | $25,000 | $284 | $69,460 | 0.8 yrs |
| 565 | University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Massachusetts | B | $25,000 | $284 | $68,804 | 0.9 yrs |
| 566 | Marymount University Virginia | B | $25,000 | $284 | $67,516 | 0.9 yrs |
| 567 | National University California | B | $25,000 | $284 | $67,548 | 0.9 yrs |
| 568 | Norwich University Vermont | B | $25,000 | $284 | $65,575 | 1 yrs |
| 569 | Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania | C | $25,000 | $284 | $63,435 | 1.1 yrs |
| 570 | McDaniel College Maryland | C | $25,000 | $284 | $60,663 | 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.