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
641 Southwest Baptist University Bolivar, Missouri $30,566 $40,301 50% 59% 1088 68%
642 Saginaw Valley State University University Center, Michigan $12,930 $24,936 50% 49% 1052 72%
643 Bennington College Bennington, Vermont $66,262 $87,284 50% 74% 1364 45%
644 Seton Hall University South Orange, New Jersey $53,170 $68,263 50% 70% 1322 73%
645 Presbyterian College Clinton, South Carolina $44,910 $60,242 51% 73% 1118 68%
646 Denison University Granville, Ohio $67,000 $81,900 51% 80% 1410 17%
647 University of Massachusetts Boston Boston, Massachusetts $15,908 $30,544 51% 60% 1194 84%
648 Guilford College Greensboro, North Carolina $41,362 $55,689 51% 51% 1105 80%
649 Shenandoah University Winchester, Virginia $36,950 $51,928 51% 64% 77%
650 Radford University Radford, Virginia $12,548 $28,405 51% 68% 1060 90%
651 Rhodes College Memphis, Tennessee $57,110 $71,136 51% 84% 1362 50%
652 East Texas Baptist University Marshall, Texas $30,680 $44,211 51% 55% 58%
653 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York $64,081 $82,404 51% 92% 1456 63%
654 Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, Maryland $48,630 $63,731 51% 75% 1176 74%
655 Westmont College Santa Barbara, California $53,584 $71,150 51% 82% 1328 77%
656 Johnson & Wales University-Online Providence, Rhode Island $13,365 $26,864 51% 68% 91%
657 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, Pennsylvania $11,128 $26,913 51% 68% 1110 86%
658 Bryant University Smithfield, Rhode Island $52,677 $69,964 52% 87% 1265 65%
659 Hanover College Hanover, Indiana $44,638 $58,821 52% 71% 1201 84%
660 Augustana University Sioux Falls, South Dakota $40,160 $55,159 52% 83% 1195 68%
661 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts $60,965 $78,679 52% 92% 60%
662 Prescott College Prescott, Arizona $35,685 $48,532 52% 53% 95%
663 Champlain College Burlington, Vermont $47,850 $65,009 52% 74% 1312 83%
664 Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana $48,450 $58,437 52% 77% 1178 89%
665 North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota $11,110 $23,716 52% 81% 1150 95%
666 University of Maryland Eastern Shore Princess Anne, Maryland $9,076 $25,941 52% 27% 96%
667 Delaware State University Dover, Delaware $10,670 $27,939 52% 31% 940 47%
668 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, Connecticut $13,438 $29,673 52% 61% 91%
669 State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, New York $8,825 $27,052 52% 68% 1187 81%
670 Xavier University Cincinnati, Ohio $50,640 $65,476 53% 73% 1217 86%
671 Agnes Scott College Decatur, Georgia $50,604 $63,283 53% 56% 1260 62%
672 Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, North Carolina $41,500 $56,966 53% 66% 1350 71%
673 Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, New Jersey $63,462 $79,790 53% 91% 1446 48%
674 Fisk University Nashville, Tennessee $25,858 $39,450 53% 40% 1200 37%
675 Chatham University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $44,626 $61,261 53% 60% 1198 62%
676 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York $59,274 $74,626 53% 77% 1383 67%
677 University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth, Texas 53%
678 Goucher College Baltimore, Maryland $53,350 $70,544 53% 73% 1248 78%
679 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona $17,850 $32,702 53% 35% 1077 79%
680 University of Massachusetts at Lowell Lowell, Massachusetts $16,966 $30,786 53% 64% 1285 83%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Southwest Baptist University — 50% 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.