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
201 Florida Polytechnic University Lakeland, Florida $4,940 $21,817 25% — 1268 58%
202 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas $61,740 $76,604 25% 77% 1298 44%
203 University of West Florida Pensacola, Florida $6,360 $19,947 25% 53% 1138 58%
204 Purdue University Northwest Hammond, Indiana $8,675 $15,571 25% 42% 1024 72%
205 Mott Community College Flint, Michigan $6,845 $15,460 25% 24% — —
206 University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada $9,748 $19,638 26% 53% 1094 96%
207 University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona $13,926 $29,423 26% 66% 1246 86%
208 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Fort Smith, Arkansas $7,334 $19,048 26% 52% 1050 80%
209 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, Texas $13,154 $32,696 26% 82% 1280 57%
210 Barnard College New York, New York $69,888 $89,538 26% 87% 1520 9%
211 Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado $70,734 $86,921 26% 89% 1365 18%
212 Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, Alabama $6,760 $18,226 26% 43% — —
213 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, Indiana $10,066 $22,383 26% 59% 1141 96%
214 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, Michigan $32,946 $42,211 26% 69% 1134 75%
215 Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana $10,258 $24,535 26% 50% — 81%
216 Lewis-Clark State College Lewiston, Idaho $7,610 $21,925 26% 53% — 88%
217 Cameron University Lawton, Oklahoma $7,095 $19,862 26% 39% — —
218 Auburn University Auburn, Alabama $12,890 $34,919 26% 72% 1345 46%
219 The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, Texas $9,987 $16,830 26% 51% 985 94%
220 University of Minnesota - Crookston Crookston, Minnesota $13,288 $26,068 26% 70% — 88%
221 University of Nebraska, Omaha Omaha, Nebraska $8,718 $21,120 26% 63% 1120 87%
222 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida $4,879 $21,522 26% 55% 1127 66%
223 Arkansas Tech University Russellville, Arkansas $8,674 $22,808 26% 56% 1049 96%
224 University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida $62,616 $86,078 27% 73% 1415 19%
225 University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas $9,744 $19,836 27% 46% 962 100%
226 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California $8,624 $24,648 27% 69% — 93%
227 Samford University Birmingham, Alabama $40,150 $57,456 27% 78% 1201 82%
228 Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana $12,144 $28,801 27% 72% 1313 78%
229 Babson College Wellesley, Massachusetts $57,152 $80,192 27% 91% 1457 17%
230 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana $10,125 $24,280 27% 66% 1191 86%
231 University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas $11,688 $31,247 27% 77% 1395 27%
232 Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts $66,162 $84,641 27% 79% 1497 5%
233 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois $16,004 $33,642 27% 79% 1440 42%
234 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, Wisconsin $8,700 $19,366 27% 68% 1120 89%
235 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, Hawaii $12,186 $26,433 27% 69% 1102 87%
236 Truman State University Kirksville, Missouri $9,838 $25,115 27% 77% 1320 84%
237 Black Hills State University Spearfish, South Dakota $8,764 $21,277 28% 62% 1087 96%
238 University of New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana $9,172 $23,431 28% 63% 1052 74%
239 Sonoran Desert Institute Tempe, Arizona $12,200 $25,566 28% — — —
240 Furman University Greenville, South Carolina $59,770 $76,798 28% 83% 1371 43%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Florida Polytechnic University — 25% 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.