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
401 University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland $13,256 $28,576 28% 67% 1323 72%
402 Curry College Milton, Massachusetts $47,970 $64,020 71% 67% 1125 88%
403 Dakota State University Madison, South Dakota $9,654 $25,753 34% 67% 1215 88%
404 Whittier College Whittier, California $51,350 $63,664 54% 67% — 81%
405 Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan $16,458 $32,198 34% 67% 1269 85%
406 Eureka College Eureka, Illinois $29,096 $39,578 76% 67% — 85%
407 Mount Saint Mary College Newburgh, New York $43,450 $55,014 45% 67% 1150 89%
408 Walsh College Troy, Michigan — — 49% 67% — —
409 Gannon University Erie, Pennsylvania $40,656 $52,869 64% 67% — 74%
410 University of California, Riverside Riverside, California $15,606 $38,942 31% 67% — 76%
411 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon $14,400 $31,653 33% 67% 1290 77%
412 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, Illinois $38,900 $51,981 63% 67% 1117 56%
413 Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, Louisiana $8,373 $23,604 32% 67% 1090 99%
414 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, Ohio $39,832 $55,606 82% 67% 1194 76%
415 California State University, San Marcos San Marcos, California $8,082 $21,649 28% 67% — 95%
416 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, California $58,996 $77,560 36% 67% — 32%
417 University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth North Dartmouth, Massachusetts $15,612 $33,485 64% 66% 1182 91%
418 Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, Minnesota $10,428 $25,197 48% 66% 1090 59%
419 University of Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico $6,284 $12,501 4% 66% — 35%
420 California State University, Monterey Bay Seaside, California $7,779 $26,987 28% 66% — 97%
421 California State University Channel Islands Camarillo, California $7,159 $23,561 24% 66% — 95%
422 Saint Martin's University Lacey, Washington $45,510 $62,449 69% 66% 1093 90%
423 Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, Minnesota $45,484 $59,972 75% 66% 1161 48%
424 San Diego State University San Diego, California $8,728 $27,780 23% 66% — 36%
425 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, Minnesota $10,245 $21,116 24% 66% 1092 95%
426 University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada $9,578 $25,786 24% 66% 1132 74%
427 University of Hartford West Hartford, Connecticut $49,075 $64,729 66% 66% 1219 96%
428 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana $10,125 $24,280 27% 66% 1191 86%
429 Meredith College Raleigh, North Carolina $45,630 $57,313 55% 66% 1204 74%
430 Monmouth College Monmouth, Illinois $44,922 $57,157 75% 66% 1128 91%
431 Widener University Chester, Pennsylvania $55,730 $70,621 72% 66% 1180 71%
432 Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, Minnesota $10,361 $24,757 15% 66% 1050 62%
433 Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, North Carolina $41,500 $56,966 53% 66% 1350 71%
434 Lewis University Romeoville, Illinois $39,200 $47,313 42% 66% 1096 71%
435 Marymount University Arlington, Virginia $40,920 $57,184 34% 66% — 93%
436 University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas $12,102 $26,751 37% 66% 1190 93%
437 University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona $13,926 $29,423 26% 66% 1246 86%
438 Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania $35,970 $51,621 41% 66% — 90%
439 California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, California $8,018 $22,945 23% 66% — 94%
440 Montclair State University Montclair, New Jersey $15,912 $28,305 41% 65% 1070 88%

Questions

Best repayment in the US: which university leads?
University of Maryland, Baltimore County — 67% 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.