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
81 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Virginia $21,046 $34,824 59% 84% 1244 71%
82 Rhodes College Memphis, Tennessee $57,110 $71,136 51% 84% 1362 50%
83 Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina $64,410 $79,475 9% 84% 1469 13%
84 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, Wisconsin $11,603 $28,679 20% 84% 1427 45%
85 Allen College Waterloo, Iowa — — 68% 84% — —
86 Pitzer College Claremont, California $65,192 $86,466 20% 84% — 25%
87 Drake University Des Moines, Iowa $52,130 $64,835 44% 84% 1292 64%
88 Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee $67,498 $89,590 10% 84% 1549 6%
89 Saint Anselm College Manchester, New Hampshire $48,920 $67,213 69% 84% 1201 78%
90 Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, Wisconsin $50,480 $62,648 56% 83% — 59%
91 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, Minnesota $56,076 $67,613 54% 83% 1290 61%
92 University of California Davis Davis, California $16,774 $41,238 20% 83% — 42%
93 Loras College Dubuque, Iowa $39,824 $50,537 58% 83% — 100%
94 Augustana University Sioux Falls, South Dakota $40,160 $55,159 52% 83% 1195 68%
95 Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts $68,080 $86,448 28% 83% 1462 41%
96 Ursinus College Collegeville, Pennsylvania $61,210 $76,815 65% 83% 1310 92%
97 Luther College Decorah, Iowa $52,120 $65,461 65% 83% 1218 72%
98 Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, Massachusetts $42,884 $61,096 55% 83% 1229 91%
99 Bob Jones University Greenville, South Carolina $24,470 $36,580 24% 83% — —
100 Furman University Greenville, South Carolina $59,770 $76,798 28% 83% 1371 43%
101 Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, Michigan $61,050 $74,208 45% 83% 1280 75%
102 Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, New York $66,862 $82,467 40% 83% 1366 62%
103 Loma Linda University Loma Linda, California — — 64% 82% — —
104 Ithaca College Ithaca, New York $53,540 $68,699 65% 82% 1312 69%
105 Smith College Northampton, Massachusetts $65,178 $86,030 14% 82% 1500 21%
106 James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia $14,250 $31,735 29% 82% 1256 72%
107 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $48,986 $67,776 67% 82% 1276 84%
108 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland $65,230 $85,947 9% 82% 1553 6%
109 Boston University Boston, Massachusetts $68,102 $86,285 23% 82% 1480 11%
110 University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California $16,758 $38,701 21% 82% — 27%
111 Goshen College Goshen, Indiana $38,890 $48,449 47% 82% 950 84%
112 Lewis & Clark College Portland, Oregon $64,828 $79,987 66% 82% — 78%
113 University of Puget Sound Tacoma, Washington $62,898 $78,378 43% 82% 1296 72%
114 DePauw University Greencastle, Indiana $59,070 $74,320 32% 82% 1340 57%
115 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, Texas $13,154 $32,696 26% 82% 1280 57%
116 Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania $59,850 $75,410 66% 82% 1232 81%
117 Westmont College Santa Barbara, California $53,584 $71,150 51% 82% 1328 77%
118 Oberlin College Oberlin, Ohio $67,366 $87,404 31% 82% 1447 34%
119 North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota $11,110 $23,716 52% 81% 1150 95%
120 University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online Manchester, New Hampshire $7,724 $15,451 33% 81% — —

Questions

Best repayment in the US: which university leads?
Virginia Military Institute — 84% 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.