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
441 Montclair State University Montclair, New Jersey $15,912 $28,305 41% 65% 1070 88%
442 Rocky Mountain College Billings, Montana $35,582 $46,093 55% 65% 1083 70%
443 University of Maine at Farmington Farmington, Maine $11,308 $25,822 39% 65% 1130 97%
444 Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, Pennsylvania $18,240 $33,192 60% 65% — —
445 Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas $11,852 $27,443 41% 65% 1190 73%
446 Berklee College of Music Boston, Massachusetts $52,040 $72,700 34% 65% — 44%
447 University of Southern Maine Portland, Maine $11,284 $23,717 35% 65% 1116 79%
448 University of Tampa Tampa, Florida $34,408 $51,614 67% 65% — 40%
449 University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, Texas $14,644 $29,807 33% 65% 1286 65%
450 Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, Pennsylvania $11,380 $26,898 59% 65% 1082 91%
451 Thomas College Waterville, Maine $31,824 $47,198 33% 65% — 96%
452 Northern State University Aberdeen, South Dakota $8,845 $22,077 22% 65% 1089 93%
453 Ball State University Muncie, Indiana $11,082 $26,146 43% 65% 1160 86%
454 University of California, Merced Merced, California $15,623 $39,665 29% 65% — 91%
455 Doane University Crete, Nebraska $43,985 $57,836 66% 65% — 98%
456 Evangel University-College of Online Learning Springfield, Missouri $8,175 $26,454 69% 65% — 49%
457 California State University, Stanislaus Turlock, California $8,246 $19,739 21% 64% — 98%
458 Shenandoah University Winchester, Virginia $36,950 $51,928 51% 64% — 77%
459 Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma $10,234 $28,290 37% 64% 1150 75%
460 San Francisco State University San Francisco, California $7,950 $26,488 23% 64% — 96%
461 Millikin University Decatur, Illinois $26,892 $57,475 56% 64% 1034 67%
462 Augsburg University Minneapolis, Minnesota $45,452 $62,303 77% 64% — 82%
463 West Virginia Wesleyan College Buckhannon, West Virginia $34,090 $48,190 65% 64% 1052 93%
464 Midland University Fremont, Nebraska $42,050 $55,719 62% 64% 1086 66%
465 Western Connecticut State University Danbury, Connecticut $13,401 $24,877 49% 64% 1110 87%
466 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, California $44,458 $56,313 48% 64% 1195 88%
467 University of Maine at Fort Kent Fort Kent, Maine $9,420 $18,703 18% 64% — 98%
468 University of Massachusetts at Lowell Lowell, Massachusetts $16,966 $30,786 53% 64% 1285 83%
469 California State University, Fresno Fresno, California $7,350 $20,095 19% 64% — 95%
470 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, Tennessee $11,376 $25,663 33% 64% 1151 76%
471 Lawrence Technological University Southfield, Michigan $44,760 $58,166 35% 64% — 56%
472 Pace University New York, New York $53,290 $69,550 45% 64% 1266 76%
473 Montana State University - Northern Havre, Montana $6,982 $16,578 29% 64% — —
474 Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan $15,140 $28,367 50% 64% 1074 83%
475 State University of New York at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, New York $9,035 $28,244 57% 63% 1165 78%
476 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, Mississippi $10,202 $29,267 39% 63% 1219 78%
477 Eastern Washington University Cheney, Washington $8,586 $24,478 35% 63% — 91%
478 East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina $7,361 $23,867 39% 63% 1180 89%
479 University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky $13,502 $34,391 34% 63% 1215 93%
480 University of Hawaii at Hilo Hilo, Hawaii $7,838 $21,173 30% 63% 1028 61%

Questions

Best repayment in the US: which university leads?
Montclair State University — 65% 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.