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
881 Johnson C. Smith University Charlotte, North Carolina $21,300 $34,923 75% 26% 45%
882 Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, Minnesota $45,484 $59,972 75% 66% 1161 48%
883 Bethany College Bethany, West Virginia $36,765 $50,758 75% 53% 59%
884 Keuka College Keuka Park, New York $39,332 $54,760 75% 60% 68%
885 Monmouth College Monmouth, Illinois $44,922 $57,157 75% 66% 1128 91%
886 University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, Connecticut $35,760 $52,957 76% 50% 83%
887 Virginia State University Petersburg, Virginia $10,043 $27,661 76% 27% 948 89%
888 University of Mount Union Alliance, Ohio $36,600 $49,276 76% 72% 1088 78%
889 Eureka College Eureka, Illinois $29,096 $39,578 76% 67% 85%
890 Augsburg University Minneapolis, Minnesota $45,452 $62,303 77% 64% 82%
891 Marian University Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin $35,178 $44,450 78% 61% 75%
892 Geneva College Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania $33,450 $45,407 78% 69%
893 Western New England University Springfield, Massachusetts $47,820 $60,262 78% 75% 1192 83%
894 Lincoln University Lincoln University, Pennsylvania $12,512 $28,505 79% 32% 920 66%
895 Dillard University New Orleans, Louisiana $23,918 $39,202 79% 55% 1050 42%
896 Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online Addison, Texas $14,520 $30,295 80% 70% 100%
897 Roanoke College Salem, Virginia $38,068 $54,283 80% 74% 1211 83%
898 Pacific University Forest Grove, Oregon $56,374 $72,374 81% 77% 1090 90%
899 Hartwick College Oneonta, New York $54,962 $68,614 81% 70% 1200 70%
900 Marywood University Scranton, Pennsylvania $41,420 $55,582 81% 68% 1162 61%
901 Amridge University Montgomery, Alabama $7,590 81% 23%
902 Saint Vincent College Latrobe, Pennsylvania $42,396 $56,752 82% 78% 1116 62%
903 Bryant & Stratton College-Online Orchard Park, New York $16,299 $21,430 82% 19%
904 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, Ohio $39,832 $55,606 82% 67% 1194 76%
905 Jackson State University Jackson, Mississippi $8,965 $32,415 82% 39% 965 93%
906 Alvernia University Reading, Pennsylvania $45,000 $57,565 83% 62% 1170 58%
907 Illinois College Jacksonville, Illinois $38,676 $48,955 83% 77% 1064 78%
908 Wittenberg University Springfield, Ohio $45,940 $57,799 85% 71% 1179 72%
909 Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $47,505 $64,197 86% 87% 1243 81%
910 Carthage College Kenosha, Wisconsin $38,750 $50,822 86% 68% 1150 87%
911 Saint Xavier University Chicago, Illinois $37,940 $43,244 87% 60% 84%
912 Hypnosis Motivation Institute Tarzana, California 90% 47%
913 Community Christian College Quartzsite, Arizona $9,675 $27,218 93% 30%
914 St. Bonaventure University Saint Bonaventure, New York $41,735 $57,271 93% 71% 1197 82%
915 Wilberforce University Wilberforce, Ohio $16,448 $25,676 97% 36% 41%
916 Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Erie, Pennsylvania 100%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Johnson C. Smith University — 75% 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.