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
161 Wartburg College Waverly, Iowa $26,250 $64,359 67% 79% 1136 76%
162 Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, New York $66,436 $84,553 32% 79% 1380 52%
163 University of Scranton Scranton, Pennsylvania $53,983 $69,552 64% 79% 1237 81%
164 Roger Williams University Bristol, Rhode Island $44,418 $61,950 56% 79% 1223 88%
165 Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania $37,950 $50,865 65% 79% 1204 78%
166 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City, South Dakota $10,500 $25,385 40% 79% 1245 80%
167 American University Washington, District of Columbia $58,771 $76,058 38% 79% 1381 62%
168 Allegheny College Meadville, Pennsylvania $56,550 $71,348 56% 79% 1275 55%
169 Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, Virginia $54,550 $70,325 47% 79% 1207 41%
170 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois $16,004 $33,642 27% 79% 1440 42%
171 Providence College Providence, Rhode Island $63,550 $80,466 57% 79% 1346 51%
172 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, Washington $40,407 $56,826 49% 79% — 83%
173 Wofford College Spartanburg, South Carolina $56,005 $72,441 41% 79% 1296 52%
174 Syracuse University Syracuse, New York $65,528 $84,517 32% 79% 1375 46%
175 Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts $66,162 $84,641 27% 79% 1497 5%
176 DigiPen Institute of Technology Redmond, Washington $38,950 $55,588 43% 79% 1297 64%
177 University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California $15,203 $38,614 19% 79% — 9%
178 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, California $62,357 $83,943 29% 78% 1359 45%
179 Earlham College Richmond, Indiana $53,930 $67,684 43% 78% 1219 73%
180 Denver College of Nursing Denver, Colorado — — 62% 78% — —
181 Willamette University Salem, Oregon $51,156 $67,501 39% 78% 1377 77%
182 Washington & Jefferson College Washington, Pennsylvania $29,392 $42,972 69% 78% — 81%
183 Beloit College Beloit, Wisconsin $60,886 $71,365 54% 78% 1287 63%
184 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana $9,992 $24,591 22% 78% 1364 50%
185 Emerson College Boston, Massachusetts $57,056 $80,399 43% 78% 1358 51%
186 Samford University Birmingham, Alabama $40,150 $57,456 27% 78% 1201 82%
187 University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, Wisconsin $8,644 $21,266 42% 78% 1190 89%
188 Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, Virginia $43,920 $56,756 56% 78% — 100%
189 Saint Vincent College Latrobe, Pennsylvania $42,396 $56,752 82% 78% 1116 62%
190 University of California, Irvine Irvine, California $15,722 $38,632 20% 78% — 29%
191 Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina $15,554 $35,015 31% 78% 1353 38%
192 Seattle University Seattle, Washington $56,721 $72,124 49% 78% 1307 77%
193 Texas Tech University-Health Sciences Center Lubbock, Texas — — 43% 78% — —
194 Truman State University Kirksville, Missouri $9,838 $25,115 27% 77% 1320 84%
195 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts $17,772 $34,549 47% 77% 1423 60%
196 Simmons University Boston, Massachusetts $46,874 $63,460 63% 77% 1316 70%
197 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Illinois $56,402 $70,655 67% 77% 1343 57%
198 Central College Pella, Iowa $20,988 $37,773 70% 77% 1147 86%
199 College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, Maine $47,997 $58,266 53% 77% 1370 70%
200 Pacific University Forest Grove, Oregon $56,374 $72,374 81% 77% 1090 90%

Questions

Best repayment in the US: which university leads?
Wartburg College — 79% 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.