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
761 Southern Nazarene University Bethany, Oklahoma $31,190 $46,465 60% 61%
762 California Baptist University Riverside, California $41,228 $54,038 61% 54% 85%
763 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania $10,568 $25,537 61% 73% 1095 71%
764 American College of Healthcare Sciences Portland, Oregon $13,040 $29,923 61% 53%
765 Emmanuel College Boston, Massachusetts $48,550 $65,252 61% 71% 1250 76%
766 Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska $37,770 $51,422 61% 75% 1320 72%
767 University of Jamestown Jamestown, North Dakota $24,990 $38,013 61% 75% 88%
768 University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Bradford, Pennsylvania $14,770 $30,478 62% 75% 1125 89%
769 Hampshire College Amherst, Massachusetts $58,896 $74,195 62% 73% 75%
770 Midland University Fremont, Nebraska $42,050 $55,719 62% 64% 1086 66%
771 Stephens College Columbia, Missouri $28,300 $46,643 62% 60% 77%
772 Wabash College Crawfordsville, Indiana $50,800 $65,144 62% 70% 1180 63%
773 Clarkson University Potsdam, New York $59,398 $79,022 62% 86% 1304 77%
774 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio $53,888 $68,424 62% 77% 56%
775 Midwives College of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah $8,583 $45,179 62% 86%
776 Denver College of Nursing Denver, Colorado 62% 78%
777 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, Minnesota $55,756 $68,453 62% 90% 1151 92%
778 Sullivan University Louisville, Kentucky $15,480 $31,766 62% 32%
779 Mercer University Macon, Georgia $42,312 $58,204 62% 47% 1271 69%
780 The Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, Pennsylvania $11,314 $29,866 63% 69% 1210 91%
781 Capital University Columbus, Ohio $43,234 $57,130 63% 63% 1068 70%
782 Southern Arkansas University Magnolia, Arkansas $9,960 $24,951 63% 49% 1047 75%
783 North Carolina Central University Durham, North Carolina $6,699 $26,556 63% 25% 1050 87%
784 Davis & Elkins College Elkins, West Virginia $31,820 $44,888 63% 55% 94%
785 Full Sail University Winter Park, Florida $26,906 $47,530 63% 24%
786 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, Illinois $38,900 $51,981 63% 67% 1117 56%
787 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, Illinois $57,704 $70,700 63% 84% 1275 39%
788 Albany State University Albany, Georgia $5,656 $19,333 63% 21%
789 Bradley University Peoria, Illinois $42,160 $54,730 63% 77% 77%
790 Simmons University Boston, Massachusetts $46,874 $63,460 63% 77% 1316 70%
791 Albion College Albion, Michigan $56,950 $69,986 64% 75% 81%
792 Le Moyne College Syracuse, New York $40,330 $53,183 64% 68% 1255 83%
793 University of Scranton Scranton, Pennsylvania $53,983 $69,552 64% 79% 1237 81%
794 Norfolk State University Norfolk, Virginia $10,180 $26,633 64% 27% 927 88%
795 University of La Verne La Verne, California $49,470 $62,278 64% 52% 1083 71%
796 Alfred University Alfred, New York $41,500 $57,445 64% 71% 1279 74%
797 Loma Linda University Loma Linda, California 64% 82%
798 Lyon College Batesville, Arkansas $31,000 $44,978 64% 67% 63%
799 University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth North Dartmouth, Massachusetts $15,612 $33,485 64% 66% 1182 91%
800 Coastal Alabama Community College Bay Minette, Alabama $5,040 $20,605 64% 35%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Southern Nazarene University — 60% 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.