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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | Tennessee Technological University Tennessee | D | $15,650 | $178 | $48,501 | 1.7 yrs |
| 92 | SOKA University of America California | C | $15,650 | $178 | $55,017 | 1 yrs |
| 93 | University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania | A | $15,715 | $179 | $111,371 | 0.2 yrs |
| 94 | The Culinary Institute of America New York | D | $15,750 | $179 | $47,475 | 2 yrs |
| 95 | Sul Ross State University Texas | F | $15,900 | $181 | $41,871 | 6.8 yrs |
| 96 | Lafayette College Pennsylvania | A | $16,000 | $182 | $91,410 | 0.3 yrs |
| 97 | University of California, Merced California | B | $16,144 | $184 | $64,368 | 0.7 yrs |
| 98 | Walsh College Michigan | A | $16,217 | $184 | $72,081 | 0.5 yrs |
| 99 | Tufts University Massachusetts | A | $16,250 | $185 | $83,214 | 0.4 yrs |
| 100 | Prescott College Arizona | F | $16,300 | $185 | $42,359 | 5.7 yrs |
| 101 | Florida International University Florida | B | $16,500 | $188 | $60,249 | 0.8 yrs |
| 102 | California State University, Chico California | B | $16,552 | $188 | $64,172 | 0.7 yrs |
| 103 | Bob Jones University South Carolina | F | $16,585 | $189 | $44,354 | 3.4 yrs |
| 104 | California State University, Bakersfield California | B | $16,600 | $189 | $59,009 | 0.9 yrs |
| 105 | University of West Florida Florida | D | $16,624 | $189 | $49,137 | 1.7 yrs |
| 106 | University of California, Santa Cruz California | A | $16,666 | $189 | $68,396 | 0.6 yrs |
| 107 | New England Institute of Technology Rhode Island | D | $16,668 | $190 | $48,684 | 1.8 yrs |
| 108 | University of Illinois Chicago Illinois | A | $16,704 | $190 | $68,740 | 0.6 yrs |
| 109 | Sonoma State University California | B | $16,705 | $190 | $65,986 | 0.6 yrs |
| 110 | Carleton College Minnesota | A | $16,750 | $190 | $75,525 | 0.5 yrs |
| 111 | Pitzer College California | A | $16,750 | $190 | $69,512 | 0.6 yrs |
| 112 | St. Petersburg College Florida | F | $16,868 | $192 | $42,557 | 5.6 yrs |
| 113 | Hamilton College New York | A | $17,000 | $193 | $78,411 | 0.4 yrs |
| 114 | Wesleyan University Connecticut | A | $17,000 | $193 | $73,897 | 0.5 yrs |
| 115 | Metropolitan State University Minnesota | B | $17,100 | $194 | $64,705 | 0.7 yrs |
| 116 | University of Texas at Tyler Texas | C | $17,137 | $195 | $57,053 | 1 yrs |
| 117 | Florida Atlantic University Florida | C | $17,236 | $196 | $56,746 | 1 yrs |
| 118 | California State University, San Marcos California | B | $17,350 | $197 | $62,908 | 0.7 yrs |
| 119 | Northeastern State University Oklahoma | F | $17,367 | $197 | $45,379 | 3 yrs |
| 120 | New College of Florida Florida | D | $17,375 | $198 | $48,082 | 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.