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
121 Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, Florida $2,878 $9,323 19% 35% — —
122 Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts $70,704 $88,300 19% 91% 1513 11%
123 University of the West Rosemead, California $15,446 $21,278 19% — — 100%
124 New College of Florida Sarasota, Florida $6,916 $24,449 19% 71% 1150 73%
125 Eastern New Mexico University Portales, New Mexico $7,194 $18,940 19% 48% 964 92%
126 University of the District of Columbia Washington, District of Columbia $5,662 $20,437 19% 31% — —
127 Utah State University Logan, Utah $9,228 $21,654 19% 70% 1187 92%
128 New York University New York, New York $62,796 $84,374 19% 76% 1520 9%
129 California State University, Fresno Fresno, California $7,350 $20,095 19% 64% — 95%
130 San Jose State University San Jose, California $8,410 $26,593 20% 74% — 85%
131 Lafayette College Easton, Pennsylvania $65,398 $83,133 20% 91% 1424 31%
132 California State University, Dominguez Hills Carson, California $7,449 $23,191 20% 51% — 93%
133 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, Georgia $5,285 $18,177 20% 63% 1106 68%
134 University of California Davis Davis, California $16,774 $41,238 20% 83% — 42%
135 Northwest Florida State College Niceville, Florida $2,583 $12,914 20% 51% — —
136 New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico $8,183 $23,274 20% 45% 1011 89%
137 University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia $21,803 $39,926 20% 86% 1480 17%
138 Pitzer College Claremont, California $65,192 $86,466 20% 84% — 25%
139 University of California, Irvine Irvine, California $15,722 $38,632 20% 78% — 29%
140 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, Wisconsin $11,603 $28,679 20% 84% 1427 45%
141 Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida $5,656 $25,720 20% 63% 1361 24%
142 University of Maryland, Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland — — 20% 84% — —
143 University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah $9,620 $25,557 21% 72% 1257 86%
144 Portland Community College Portland, Oregon $5,220 $17,934 21% 36% — —
145 California State University, Stanislaus Turlock, California $8,246 $19,739 21% 64% — 98%
146 Claremont McKenna College Claremont, California $67,980 $86,500 21% — 1527 10%
147 Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, New York $46,820 $64,190 21% 75% 1410 21%
148 Sinclair Community College Dayton, Ohio $3,675 $11,003 21% 30% — —
149 Kenyon College Gambier, Ohio $71,520 $87,590 21% 87% 1429 31%
150 California State University, Northridge Northridge, California $7,458 $20,485 21% 61% — 93%
151 University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California $16,758 $38,701 21% 82% — 27%
152 Lake Superior College Duluth, Minnesota $5,785 $19,723 21% 47% — —
153 Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas $67,040 $85,606 21% 75% 1428 63%
154 Western New Mexico University Silver City, New Mexico $7,856 $21,562 22% 38% — —
155 University of Maryland, College Park College Park, Maryland $11,809 $29,299 22% 79% 1473 45%
156 National-Louis University Chicago, Illinois $12,705 $24,154 22% 43% — 95%
157 University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, Illinois $14,338 $27,521 22% 69% 1250 77%
158 National Park College Hot Springs, Arkansas $5,600 $19,331 22% 37% — —
159 California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, California $7,470 $18,269 22% 70% — 91%
160 Northern State University Aberdeen, South Dakota $8,845 $22,077 22% 65% 1089 93%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Florida State College at Jacksonville — 19% 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.