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
81 University of Florida-Online Gainesville, Florida $3,876 $17,843 12% 69% — 61%
82 Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa $68,106 $83,440 13% 89% 1486 15%
83 Aiken Technical College Graniteville, South Carolina $5,174 $13,171 13% 31% — —
84 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina $8,994 $26,055 13% 81% 1439 15%
85 Mercer County Community College West Windsor, New Jersey $5,310 $12,545 13% 38% — —
86 Duke University Durham, North Carolina $68,758 $87,072 14% 89% 1548 6%
87 University of Alaska - Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska $7,738 $24,096 14% 55% — —
88 Bates College Lewiston, Maine $66,590 $83,532 14% 88% 1468 13%
89 Hagerstown Community College Hagerstown, Maryland $4,320 $12,747 14% 41% — —
90 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina $67,642 $87,499 14% 88% 1475 22%
91 Smith College Northampton, Massachusetts $65,178 $86,030 14% 82% 1500 21%
92 Washington & Lee University Lexington, Virginia $68,045 $87,000 14% 88% 1498 14%
93 Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, Florida $2,496 $11,966 15% 36% — —
94 Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, Minnesota $10,361 $24,757 15% 66% 1050 62%
95 Madison Area Technical College Madison, Wisconsin $4,977 $19,434 16% 47% — —
96 St. Petersburg College St. Petersburg, Florida $2,682 $12,885 16% 32% — —
97 Salish Kootenai College Pablo, Montana $4,311 $13,047 16% 37% — —
98 Yeshiva University New York, New York $51,800 $70,892 16% 80% 1426 56%
99 Wellesley College Wellesley, Massachusetts $67,176 $86,290 16% 90% 1520 14%
100 Wesleyan University Middletown, Connecticut $70,342 $89,020 16% 88% 1501 16%
101 University of Alaska - Fairbanks Fairbanks, Alaska $8,736 $22,407 17% 55% — —
102 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California $16,347 $45,619 17% 80% — 11%
103 Florida International University Miami, Florida $6,565 $21,462 17% 54% 1163 55%
104 Lane Community College Eugene, Oregon $6,202 $18,699 17% 29% — —
105 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia $12,058 $28,167 17% 85% 1480 14%
106 Daytona State College Daytona Beach, Florida $3,106 $12,050 17% 37% — —
107 Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, North Carolina $2,628 $11,277 17% 18% — —
108 Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois $68,322 $91,250 17% 87% 1533 8%
109 Bastyr University Kenmore, Washington — — 17% 60% — —
110 Northeastern Junior College Sterling, Colorado $5,730 $21,558 17% 50% — —
111 Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah $6,962 $19,416 17% 69% — 82%
112 University of Maine at Fort Kent Fort Kent, Maine $9,420 $18,703 18% 64% — 98%
113 New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, New Mexico $7,416 $20,868 18% 42% — —
114 Cornell University Ithaca, New York $69,314 $88,140 18% 87% 1535 9%
115 Georgetown University Washington, District of Columbia $68,017 $88,741 18% 88% 1487 13%
116 California State University, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California $7,160 $18,403 18% 58% — 91%
117 West Virginia University at Parkersburg Parkersburg, West Virginia $4,612 $9,420 18% 34% — —
118 University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California $16,414 $41,573 18% 75% — 33%
119 La Roche University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $34,052 $47,111 19% 63% 1055 76%
120 University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California $15,203 $38,614 19% 79% — 9%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
University of Florida-Online — 12% 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.