Ranked

889 uS universities whose graduates repay fastest

Share of borrowers whose loan balance is falling three years after leaving — the clearest published signal that a degree is being paid off rather than deferred.

#UniversityIn-stateCost of attendance BorrowPaying downSATAcceptance
361 Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Winona, Minnesota $45,080 $57,380 46% 69% — 93%
362 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, Hawaii $12,186 $26,433 27% 69% 1102 87%
363 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California $8,624 $24,648 27% 69% — 93%
364 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, Michigan $32,946 $42,211 26% 69% 1134 75%
365 Hesston College Hesston, Kansas $32,936 $47,450 66% 69% — —
366 Lipscomb University Nashville, Tennessee $40,572 $55,117 29% 69% 1256 68%
367 Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah $6,962 $19,416 17% 69% — 82%
368 Adelphi University Garden City, New York $49,110 $63,189 59% 69% 1219 66%
369 The Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, Pennsylvania $11,314 $29,866 63% 69% 1210 91%
370 Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, Oregon $13,260 $27,524 22% 69% 1150 95%
371 University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, Illinois $14,338 $27,521 22% 69% 1250 77%
372 University of Florida-Online Gainesville, Florida $3,876 $17,843 12% 69% — 61%
373 University of Florida Gainesville, Florida $6,381 $22,523 11% 69% 1403 24%
374 Geneva College Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania $33,450 $45,407 78% 69% — —
375 Plymouth State University Plymouth, New Hampshire $14,626 $29,644 69% 68% — 88%
376 Towson University Towson, Maryland $11,728 $28,535 42% 68% 1095 82%
377 Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $23,011 $40,903 53% 68% — 80%
378 Le Moyne College Syracuse, New York $40,330 $53,183 64% 68% 1255 83%
379 Kuyper College Grand Rapids, Michigan $27,660 $38,366 47% 68% — 69%
380 University of Tennessee, Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee $13,812 $33,678 29% 68% 1311 42%
381 Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas $11,221 $27,402 36% 68% 1151 82%
382 Salisbury University Salisbury, Maryland $11,084 $28,310 39% 68% 1252 87%
383 University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York $10,936 $30,785 40% 68% 1295 74%
384 University of Redlands Redlands, California $60,878 $76,630 55% 68% 1241 83%
385 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, Pennsylvania $11,128 $26,913 51% 68% 1110 86%
386 State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, New York $8,825 $27,052 52% 68% 1187 81%
387 Marywood University Scranton, Pennsylvania $41,420 $55,582 81% 68% 1162 61%
388 Nicholls State University Thibodaux, Louisiana $8,149 $23,481 38% 68% 1090 91%
389 Johnson & Wales University-Online Providence, Rhode Island $13,365 $26,864 51% 68% — 91%
390 Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania $20,644 $39,694 40% 68% 1337 61%
391 Capitol Technology University Laurel, Maryland $27,592 $42,471 47% 68% — 74%
392 Carthage College Kenosha, Wisconsin $38,750 $50,822 86% 68% 1150 87%
393 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, Wisconsin $8,700 $19,366 27% 68% 1120 89%
394 William Woods University Fulton, Missouri $30,340 $49,094 49% 68% — 71%
395 Ashland University Ashland, Ohio $31,210 $43,434 38% 68% 1120 76%
396 Berea College Berea, Kentucky $51,658 $60,718 8% 68% 1249 19%
397 Chapman University Orange, California $64,984 $83,146 60% 68% 1357 65%
398 Radford University Radford, Virginia $12,548 $28,405 51% 68% 1060 90%
399 Bemidji State University Bemidji, Minnesota $10,237 $22,744 42% 68% 1090 56%
400 Lyon College Batesville, Arkansas $31,000 $44,978 64% 67% — 63%

Questions

Best repayment in the US: which university leads?
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota — 69% of borrowers paying their balance down.
Where does this data come from?
The US Department of Education College Scorecard, which publishes what institutions charge, what students borrow and repay, and the test scores of admitted students. Nothing here is estimated — universities without a published figure are left out of the ranking.
Is the cheapest university the best value?
Not necessarily. Price is one half of value; the other is what graduates earn and whether they clear the debt. Each university page links to its earnings and repayment record.
All university data Cheapest tuition Most expensive Fewest borrowers Highest SAT Highest acceptance

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Universities without a published figure for the ranked measure are not listed.