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
281 Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, Colorado $9,927 $24,046 31% 49% 1055 82%
282 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, Kentucky $11,088 $19,725 31% 55% 1087 68%
283 Park University Parkville, Missouri $17,500 $29,427 31% 48% — —
284 Oberlin College Oberlin, Ohio $67,366 $87,404 31% 82% 1447 34%
285 University of California, Riverside Riverside, California $15,606 $38,942 31% 67% — 76%
286 Washburn University Topeka, Kansas $9,945 $21,512 31% 50% — —
287 Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, Minnesota $9,840 $25,172 31% 57% 1020 99%
288 Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina $15,554 $35,015 31% 78% 1353 38%
289 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey $19,974 $32,859 31% 71% 1337 65%
290 University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas $11,950 $25,261 31% 58% 1124 80%
291 New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology Socorro, New Mexico $9,476 $24,967 31% 73% 1207 44%
292 Baylor University Waco, Texas $58,100 $74,226 31% 72% 1329 51%
293 Central Washington University Ellensburg, Washington $9,417 $28,816 31% 62% — 91%
294 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, Illinois $13,679 $26,996 31% 58% 1000 65%
295 Montana State University Bozeman, Montana $8,460 $25,905 31% 69% 1183 82%
296 George Washington University Washington, District of Columbia $67,710 $83,856 32% 80% 1433 47%
297 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona $13,009 $29,933 32% 56% — 90%
298 University of Richmond University of Richmond, Virginia $65,230 $80,961 32% 76% 1497 22%
299 Colorado School of Mines Golden, Colorado $21,914 $40,560 32% 91% 1412 61%
300 University of Houston Houston, Texas $9,717 $26,185 32% 62% 1250 74%
301 Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, New York $66,436 $84,553 32% 79% 1380 52%
302 DePauw University Greencastle, Indiana $59,070 $74,320 32% 82% 1340 57%
303 Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas $9,684 $21,780 32% 54% 1092 94%
304 Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois $15,264 $28,254 32% 59% — 71%
305 Dallas Baptist University Dallas, Texas $40,190 $52,716 32% 55% 1120 89%
306 University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, Texas $9,736 $24,505 32% 58% 1114 94%
307 Saint Leo University Saint Leo, Florida $30,000 $45,264 32% 36% — 78%
308 McNeese State University Lake Charles, Louisiana $8,489 $22,810 32% 62% 1087 78%
309 Portland State University Portland, Oregon $11,679 $21,590 32% 54% — 91%
310 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, Missouri $10,050 $22,947 32% 53% 1050 64%
311 University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama $12,180 $33,382 32% 60% 1285 77%
312 University of Akron Akron, Ohio $13,135 $26,284 32% 46% 1081 60%
313 University of San Diego San Diego, California $59,486 $78,720 32% 80% — 52%
314 California State University, Chico Chico, California $8,472 $26,283 32% 71% — 93%
315 Syracuse University Syracuse, New York $65,528 $84,517 32% 79% 1375 46%
316 Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, Louisiana $8,373 $23,604 32% 67% 1090 99%
317 University of Nebraska, Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska $10,434 $26,697 33% 74% 1191 87%
318 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon $14,400 $31,653 33% 67% 1290 77%
319 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, Arkansas — — 33% 81% — —
320 Young Harris College Young Harris, Georgia $32,305 $48,301 33% 59% — 63%

Questions

Least debt burden in the US: which university leads?
Colorado Mesa University — 31% 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.