Ranked

916 uS universities where fewest students need loans

Share of students taking federal loans, lowest first — strong aid, low price, or both.

#UniversityIn-stateCost of attendance BorrowPaying downSATAcceptance
1 Reach University Oakland, California $12,374 $32,536 0% — — 100%
2 Urban College of Boston Boston, Massachusetts $7,608 $19,353 0% — — —
3 Lenoir Community College Kinston, North Carolina $2,578 $14,929 0% — — —
4 EDvance College San Francisco, California $12,300 — 0% — — 100%
5 Vance-Granville Community College Henderson, North Carolina $1,944 $13,153 0% 29% — —
6 City Vision University Kansas City, Missouri $6,600 $15,536 0% — — —
7 Martinsburg College Cheyenne, Wyoming — — 0% — — 100%
8 SANS Technology Institute North Bethesda, Maryland — — 0% — — —
9 Hillsdale College Hillsdale, Michigan $33,189 — 0% — 1415 21%
10 University of the People Pasadena, California $1,400 — 0% — — —
11 American College of Education Indianapolis, Indiana — — 0% — — —
12 Chesapeake College Wye Mills, Maryland $4,274 $10,751 0% — — —
13 College of Biomedical Equipment Technology Schertz, Texas $25,000 — 0% — — —
14 Doral College Doral, Florida $3,120 — 0% — — —
15 Haskell Indian Nations University Lawrence, Kansas $600 $9,581 0% — — 90%
16 Arizona Western College Yuma, Arizona $3,060 $15,868 1% 36% — —
17 Irvine Valley College Irvine, California $1,156 $13,001 1% 41% — —
18 Sierra College Rocklin, California $1,446 $17,002 2% 32% — —
19 Cascadia College Bothell, Washington $5,157 $21,077 2% 52% — —
20 Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey $62,688 $84,040 2% 86% 1553 5%
21 Everett Community College Everett, Washington $5,032 $20,451 3% 43% — —
22 Seattle Central College Seattle, Washington $5,184 $17,889 3% 34% — —
23 Shasta College Redding, California $1,197 $13,915 3% 34% — —
24 Indian River State College Fort Pierce, Florida $2,764 $11,576 4% 39% — —
25 University of Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico $6,284 $12,501 4% 66% — 35%
26 Columbia Basin College Pasco, Washington $6,555 $18,261 4% 52% — —
27 Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney, Illinois $5,260 $17,333 4% 59% — —
28 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California $65,898 $86,886 4% — — 3%
29 Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts $61,676 $85,540 4% 71% 1553 4%
30 University of Chicago Chicago, Illinois $70,662 $90,360 5% 87% 1554 4%
31 Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts $68,560 $84,860 5% 81% 1533 8%
32 Yale University New Haven, Connecticut $67,250 $88,300 5% 86% 1534 4%
33 Nashville State Community College Nashville, Tennessee $4,730 $14,385 6% 31% — —
34 United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, New York $895 $9,168 6% — 1207 34%
35 Montgomery College Rockville, Maryland $5,394 $15,298 6% 47% — —
36 Stanford University Stanford, California $65,910 $87,833 6% 90% 1553 4%
37 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, Illinois $3,504 $19,336 6% 44% — —
38 East Central Community College Decatur, Mississippi $4,160 $13,255 6% 34% — —
39 Rice University Houston, Texas $64,144 $79,788 6% 87% 1553 8%
40 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts $62,396 $82,730 7% 92% 1560 5%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Reach University — 0% of students taking federal loans.
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 Best loan repayment Highest SAT Highest acceptance

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Universities without a published figure for the ranked measure are not listed.