Test-Optional Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings
Test-Optional Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings, ranked by debt / annual earnings. Median federal debt divided by median 10-year annual earnings. These are different cohorts; this is not a repayment timeline. Four-year colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online-only schools are excluded. This page lists all 810 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.
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1Berea CollegeBerea, Kentucky0.08×19%1249$6k$43k58%1,513277 mi2Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey0.09×5%1553$6k$110k98%5,70922 mi3Stanford UniversityStanford, California0.10×4%1553$14k$124k92%7,5544 mi4Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland0.12×6%1553$19k$88k94%5,6935 mi5Wellesley CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts0.12×14%1520$25k$85k92%2,30013 mi6Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island0.12×5%1546$25k$93k96%7,2261 mi7Rice UniversityHouston, Texas0.12×8%1553$13k$90k95%4,77620 mi8Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, California0.13×10%1527$29k$105k91%1,38834 mi9Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut0.13×4%1534$24k$101k96%6,7581 mi10Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina0.13×6%1548$30k$98k97%6,442111 mi11Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York0.13×9%1535$29k$104k95%15,99561 mi12University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania0.14×5%1553$29k$111k97%10,6503 mi13Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts0.14×8%1533$18k$89k94%2,07698 mi14Brigham Young UniversityProvo, Utah0.15×68%1376$16k$76k81%32,952547 mi15Pomona CollegeClaremont, California0.15×7%1534$19k$78k93%1,66633 mi16CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, New York0.15×48%1280$3k$76k72%16,1541 mi17Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee0.15×6%1549$16k$92k94%7,208380 mi18Babson CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts0.16×17%1457$41k$124k93%2,72811 mi19University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois0.16×4%1554$15k$92k96%7,5691 mi20CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, New York0.16×64%1120$4k$63k53%12,5503 mi21Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois0.17×8%1533$29k$89k95%9,2011 mi22Haverford CollegeHaverford, Pennsylvania0.17×12%1513$25k$80k90%1,4309 mi23Scripps CollegeClaremont, California0.17×38%1492$36k$78k83%1,11334 mi24CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, New York0.17×54%1280$3k$63k57%16,2891 mi25Lafayette CollegeEaston, Pennsylvania0.18×31%1424$34k$91k88%2,75748 mi26Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, California0.18×48%1426$50k$109k88%6,5529 mi27Colgate UniversityHamilton, New York0.18×14%1508$29k$85k91%3,18061 mi28Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts0.18×9%1533$23k$78k94%1,91169 mi29University of Puerto Rico-CarolinaCarolina, Puerto Rico0.18×55%932$13k$31k37%2,4044 mi30Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire0.18×5%1534$30k$97k96%4,54188 mi31CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, New York0.18×58%1140$3k$61k54%10,5433 mi32CUNY City CollegeNew York, New York0.18×60%1260$4k$66k57%12,505< 1 mi33Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont0.18×11%1508$31k$76k91%2,73895 mi34Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts0.18×16%1507$42k$104k91%10,0856 mi35University of Washington-Bothell CampusBothell, Washington0.19×91%—$12k$78k65%5,4579 mi36CUNY Lehman CollegeBronx, New York0.19×57%970$3k$58k51%10,6961 mi37Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania0.19×12%1546$32k$115k94%7,304110 mi38University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana0.19×11%1520$27k$100k95%8,81825 mi39Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania0.19×81%1243$29k$77k69%3,7551 mi40CUNY York CollegeJamaica, New York0.19×64%880$4k$57k32%4,3454 mi41University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina0.19×15%1439$12k$72k91%20,752115 mi42University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California0.19×10%1495$33k$92k92%20,44310 mi43Tufts UniversityMedford, Massachusetts0.20×11%1513$40k$83k94%7,0615 mi44CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, New York0.20×57%1080$3k$56k56%11,590< 1 mi45Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesBoston, Massachusetts0.20×85%1269$40k$126k62%3,4513 mi46University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, Virginia0.20×17%1480$22k$87k96%17,59767 mi47Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, Missouri0.20×12%1530$22k$86k94%7,857258 mi48Bates CollegeLewiston, Maine0.21×13%1468$29k$69k90%1,76018 mi49Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, Virginia0.21×14%1498$24k$95k94%1,881121 mi50Bentley UniversityWaltham, Massachusetts0.21×45%1352$38k$121k87%4,4749 mi51Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, Pennsylvania0.21×26%1440$37k$106k88%5,89845 mi52Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York0.21×4%1553$22k$102k96%8,973< 1 mi53Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, New York0.21×63%1147$11k$70k53%9,5527 mi54CUNY New York City College of TechnologyBrooklyn, New York0.21×80%1010$5k$49k21%13,580< 1 mi55Hamilton CollegeClinton, New York0.22×14%1506$29k$78k91%2,03054 mi56Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, Pennsylvania0.22×7%1534$23k$80k92%1,6133 mi57Carleton CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota0.22×20%1517$25k$76k90%2,086164 mi58Barnard CollegeNew York, New York0.22×9%1520$29k$81k93%3,264< 1 mi59Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, Maine0.22×7%1520$14k$83k95%1,8733 mi60George Washington UniversityWashington, District of Columbia0.23×47%1433$37k$91k84%11,1821 mi61Chamberlain University-IllinoisAddison, Illinois0.23×83%—$32k$92k42%14,02719 mi62Chamberlain University-TexasHouston, Texas0.23×84%—$32k$92k25%2,27031 mi63Chamberlain University-GeorgiaSandy Springs, Georgia0.23×91%—$33k$92k50%1,940223 mi64Chamberlain University-New JerseyNorth Brunswick, New Jersey0.23×100%—$38k$92k33%1,2268 mi65Emory UniversityAtlanta, Georgia0.23×11%1520$23k$80k91%7,298219 mi66University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, Maryland0.23×45%1473$16k$83k89%30,7609 mi67Binghamton UniversityVestal, New York0.23×39%1415$22k$81k82%14,65594 mi68Davidson CollegeDavidson, North Carolina0.23×13%1469$17k$81k91%1,867167 mi69Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, Connecticut0.23×16%1501$30k$74k93%3,06719 mi70University of MiamiCoral Gables, Florida0.23×19%1415$37k$75k84%12,9132 mi71Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, New York0.23×63%1456$36k$102k84%5,71499 mi72University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan0.23×16%1465$13k$84k93%34,17730 mi73Colorado School of MinesGolden, Colorado0.24×61%1412$29k$97k82%6,155737 mi74CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklyn, New York0.24×86%920$6k$46k20%3,2333 mi75Colby CollegeWaterville, Maine0.24×7%1501$17k$80k89%2,40735 mi76University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, Illinois0.24×42%1440$14k$81k85%36,258115 mi77SUNY Maritime CollegeThroggs Neck, New York0.24×72%1214$22k$96k64%1,285< 1 mi78University of Illinois ChicagoChicago, Illinois0.24×77%1250$11k$69k62%22,1702 mi79Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, New York0.24×49%1419$19k$75k76%18,1012 mi80Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyTerre Haute, Indiana0.25×77%1427$43k$101k78%2,309148 mi81Texas A&M University-College StationCollege Station, Texas0.25×57%1280$21k$72k84%59,61597 mi82Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, New Jersey0.25×48%1446$41k$109k87%4,222< 1 mi83New York UniversityNew York, New York0.25×9%1520$37k$83k88%28,6631 mi84University of the PacificStockton, California0.25×71%1346$25k$78k69%3,2047 mi85Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, Texas0.25×63%1428$41k$78k84%7,277237 mi86Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, California0.25×45%1359$48k$78k79%7,0942 mi87New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark, New Jersey0.25×65%1337$17k$84k73%9,0194 mi88Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, Pennsylvania0.25×28%1392$36k$76k84%1,79936 mi89William & MaryWilliamsburg, Virginia0.25×34%1473$19k$73k89%7,0553 mi90Trinity CollegeHartford, Connecticut0.25×29%1415$35k$91k84%2,14631 mi91George Mason UniversityFairfax, Virginia0.26×87%1274$18k$76k68%27,75212 mi92Yeshiva UniversityNew York, New York0.26×56%1426$50k$71k83%2,852< 1 mi93University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, California0.26×62%1295$41k$90k70%5,2872 mi94Villanova UniversityVillanova, Pennsylvania0.26×27%1460$44k$100k92%6,93812 mi95Kenyon CollegeGambier, Ohio0.26×31%1429$39k$72k82%1,73270 mi96University of PortlandPortland, Oregon0.26×89%1277$28k$83k80%2,95746 mi
US Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS. Missing or suppressed values are excluded. A ranking is a comparison of the named measure, not an overall quality score.