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
561 Baker College Owosso, Michigan $13,000 $24,526 45% 32% 1080 82%
562 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, Florida $38,700 $56,692 45% 48% 1157 73%
563 Charter Oak State College New Britain, Connecticut $8,506 $23,210 45% 52%
564 Kettering University Flint, Michigan $48,470 $61,250 45% 86% 1251 79%
565 Hendrix College Conway, Arkansas $38,200 $55,013 45% 76% 1282 56%
566 Colorado Christian University Lakewood, Colorado $41,342 $54,242 45% 49%
567 Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan $14,277 $27,841 46% 57% 84%
568 Michigan Technological University Houghton, Michigan $19,123 $34,152 46% 80% 1258 92%
569 Southwestern University Georgetown, Texas $53,813 $67,493 46% 74% 1241 43%
570 Wilmington University New Castle, Delaware $12,630 $19,644 46% 43%
571 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas $9,228 $25,505 46% 58% 1041 90%
572 The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina $7,661 $21,373 46% 55% 1193 89%
573 Davenport University Grand Rapids, Michigan $24,466 $37,319 46% 36% 98%
574 Webster University Saint Louis, Missouri $31,750 $51,188 46% 56% 1102 86%
575 DePaul University Chicago, Illinois $45,999 $63,052 46% 62% 1262 76%
576 Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Winona, Minnesota $45,080 $57,380 46% 69% 93%
577 Longwood University Farmville, Virginia $15,744 $34,588 46% 74% 1120 90%
578 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, North Carolina $4,353 $16,652 46% 29% 959 82%
579 Benedictine University Lisle, Illinois $35,940 $46,713 46% 57% 95%
580 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, Wisconsin $8,616 $18,719 46% 70% 1050 86%
581 Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia $22,465 $42,025 46% 37% 99%
582 Tennessee State University Nashville, Tennessee $8,616 $25,637 46% 31% 1000 70%
583 Norwich University Northfield, Vermont $49,740 $67,357 46% 79% 1190 74%
584 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, Iowa $9,936 $22,278 46% 73% 1122 93%
585 Stetson University DeLand, Florida $57,410 $72,533 46% 62% 1176 72%
586 Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, Virginia $26,160 $43,898 47% 72% 1230 76%
587 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts $17,772 $34,549 47% 77% 1423 60%
588 Alverno College Milwaukee, Wisconsin $34,086 $51,362 47% 46% 86%
589 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, Illinois $13,248 $28,851 47% 60% 70%
590 Transylvania University Lexington, Kentucky $46,870 $60,993 47% 75% 1287 87%
591 University of San Francisco San Francisco, California $60,492 $80,141 47% 73% 1295 62%
592 Capitol Technology University Laurel, Maryland $27,592 $42,471 47% 68% 74%
593 Kuyper College Grand Rapids, Michigan $27,660 $38,366 47% 68% 69%
594 Rhode Island College Providence, Rhode Island $11,300 $17,454 47% 60% 990 92%
595 Capella University Minneapolis, Minnesota $14,400 $22,820 47% 31%
596 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan $15,252 $29,237 47% 56% 85%
597 Walla Walla University College Place, Washington $34,227 $45,903 47% 72%
598 Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, Virginia $54,550 $70,325 47% 79% 1207 41%
599 University of South Alabama Mobile, Alabama $10,116 $25,476 47% 47% 1147 71%
600 Aurora University Aurora, Illinois $29,170 $40,625 47% 62% 1076 81%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Baker College — 45% 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.

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