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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 751 | Albright College Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,700 | 1.4 yrs |
| 752 | Randolph-Macon College Virginia | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,448 | 1.4 yrs |
| 753 | Keuka College New York | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,289 | 1.4 yrs |
| 754 | Roanoke College Virginia | C | $27,000 | $307 | $58,047 | 1.5 yrs |
| 755 | Christian Brothers University Tennessee | C | $27,000 | $307 | $57,478 | 1.5 yrs |
| 756 | Coe College Iowa | C | $27,000 | $307 | $57,125 | 1.5 yrs |
| 757 | Marietta College Ohio | C | $27,000 | $307 | $57,180 | 1.5 yrs |
| 758 | Juniata College Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $56,918 | 1.6 yrs |
| 759 | University of the Incarnate Word Texas | C | $27,000 | $307 | $56,733 | 1.6 yrs |
| 760 | University of Jamestown North Dakota | C | $27,000 | $307 | $56,621 | 1.6 yrs |
| 761 | Wartburg College Iowa | C | $27,000 | $307 | $56,201 | 1.6 yrs |
| 762 | Lycoming College Pennsylvania | C | $27,000 | $307 | $56,210 | 1.6 yrs |
| 763 | Central Michigan University Michigan | C | $27,000 | $307 | $55,874 | 1.7 yrs |
| 764 | Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio | C | $27,000 | $307 | $55,624 | 1.7 yrs |
| 765 | Alvernia University Pennsylvania | D | $27,000 | $307 | $55,055 | 1.7 yrs |
| 766 | Wittenberg University Ohio | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,947 | 1.8 yrs |
| 767 | Ripon College Wisconsin | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,902 | 1.8 yrs |
| 768 | Knox College Illinois | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,820 | 1.8 yrs |
| 769 | Alma College Michigan | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,742 | 1.8 yrs |
| 770 | Transylvania University Kentucky | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,705 | 1.8 yrs |
| 771 | Hiram College Ohio | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,311 | 1.8 yrs |
| 772 | Baldwin Wallace University Ohio | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,122 | 1.9 yrs |
| 773 | Brenau University Georgia | D | $27,000 | $307 | $54,003 | 1.9 yrs |
| 774 | Millsaps College Mississippi | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,848 | 1.9 yrs |
| 775 | Dakota Wesleyan University South Dakota | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,728 | 1.9 yrs |
| 776 | Sarah Lawrence College New York | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,603 | 1.9 yrs |
| 777 | University of Mount Union Ohio | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,217 | 2 yrs |
| 778 | Alverno College Wisconsin | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,145 | 2 yrs |
| 779 | American International College Massachusetts | D | $27,000 | $307 | $53,124 | 2 yrs |
| 780 | Sweet Briar College Virginia | D | $27,000 | $307 | $51,943 | 2.2 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.