Ranked

891 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 Lyon College Batesville, Arkansas $31,000 $44,978 64% 67% — 63%
402 University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland $13,256 $28,576 28% 67% 1323 72%
403 Curry College Milton, Massachusetts $47,970 $64,020 71% 67% 1125 88%
404 Dakota State University Madison, South Dakota $9,654 $25,753 34% 67% 1215 88%
405 Whittier College Whittier, California $51,350 $63,664 54% 67% — 81%
406 Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan $16,458 $32,198 34% 67% 1269 85%
407 Eureka College Eureka, Illinois $29,096 $39,578 76% 67% — 85%
408 Mount Saint Mary College Newburgh, New York $43,450 $55,014 45% 67% 1150 89%
409 Walsh College Troy, Michigan — — 49% 67% — —
410 Gannon University Erie, Pennsylvania $40,656 $52,869 64% 67% — 74%
411 University of California, Riverside Riverside, California $15,606 $38,942 31% 67% — 76%
412 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon $14,400 $31,653 33% 67% 1290 77%
413 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, Illinois $38,900 $51,981 63% 67% 1117 56%
414 Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, Louisiana $8,373 $23,604 32% 67% 1090 99%
415 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, Ohio $39,832 $55,606 82% 67% 1194 76%
416 California State University, San Marcos San Marcos, California $8,082 $21,649 28% 67% — 95%
417 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, California $58,996 $77,560 36% 67% — 32%
418 University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth North Dartmouth, Massachusetts $15,612 $33,485 64% 66% 1182 91%
419 Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, Minnesota $10,428 $25,197 48% 66% 1090 59%
420 University of Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico $6,284 $12,501 4% 66% — 35%
421 California State University, Monterey Bay Seaside, California $7,779 $26,987 28% 66% — 97%
422 California State University Channel Islands Camarillo, California $7,159 $23,561 24% 66% — 95%
423 Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, Minnesota $45,484 $59,972 75% 66% 1161 48%
424 Saint Martin's University Lacey, Washington $45,510 $62,449 69% 66% 1093 90%
425 San Diego State University San Diego, California $8,728 $27,780 23% 66% — 36%
426 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, Minnesota $10,245 $21,116 24% 66% 1092 95%
427 University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada $9,578 $25,786 24% 66% 1132 74%
428 University of Hartford West Hartford, Connecticut $49,075 $64,729 66% 66% 1219 96%
429 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana $10,125 $24,280 27% 66% 1191 86%
430 Meredith College Raleigh, North Carolina $45,630 $57,313 55% 66% 1204 74%
431 Monmouth College Monmouth, Illinois $44,922 $57,157 75% 66% 1128 91%
432 Widener University Chester, Pennsylvania $55,730 $70,621 72% 66% 1180 71%
433 Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, Minnesota $10,361 $24,757 15% 66% 1050 62%
434 Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, North Carolina $41,500 $56,966 53% 66% 1350 71%
435 Lewis University Romeoville, Illinois $39,200 $47,313 42% 66% 1096 71%
436 Marymount University Arlington, Virginia $40,920 $57,184 34% 66% — 93%
437 University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas $12,102 $26,751 37% 66% 1190 93%
438 University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona $13,926 $29,423 26% 66% 1246 86%
439 Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania $35,970 $51,621 41% 66% — 90%
440 California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, California $8,018 $22,945 23% 66% — 94%

Questions

Best repayment in the US: which university leads?
Lyon College — 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.