Lowest-Debt Colleges
Where graduates leave with the least median federal debt — among colleges with solid completion rates.
All states
| # | College | Type | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berea College Berea, KY | Private | $41,799 | $6,106 | $3,591 | -224% | Poor return | |
| 2 | University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo Arecibo, PR | Public | $26,859 | $10,680 | $4,500 | -509% | Poor return | |
| 3 | University of Puerto Rico at Cayey Cayey, PR | Public | $28,733 | $10,176 | $5,000 | -483% | Poor return | |
| 4 | Albizu University-San Juan San Juan, PR | Private | $56,938 | $9,732 | $5,500 | +192% | Strong return | |
| 5 | University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla Aguadilla, PR | Public | $24,512 | $7,765 | $5,500 | -720% | Poor return | |
| 6 | University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Humacao, PR | Public | $30,961 | $12,675 | $5,500 | -366% | Poor return | |
| 7 | University of Puerto Rico at Ponce Ponce, PR | Public | $23,186 | $10,990 | $5,500 | -575% | Poor return | |
| 8 | University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras San Juan, PR | Public | $31,104 | $9,175 | $5,500 | -459% | Poor return | |
| 9 | Brazosport College Lake Jackson, TX | Public | $77,665 | $4,732 | $5,641 | +1,457% | Strong return | |
| 10 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla Aguadilla, PR | Private | $25,773 | $8,742 | $6,250 | -616% | Poor return | |
| 11 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Mercedita, PR | Private | $27,317 | $9,026 | $6,375 | -560% | Poor return | |
| 12 | Atenas University Manati, PR | Private | $21,577 | $5,818 | $6,525 | -1,013% | Poor return | |
| 13 | Lake-Sumter State College Leesburg, FL | Public | $48,769 | $5,855 | $6,750 | +46% | Break-even | |
| 14 | Zane State College Zanesville, OH | Public | $35,831 | $8,062 | $6,834 | -364% | Poor return | |
| 15 | Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL | Public | $43,785 | $5,364 | $6,992 | -151% | Poor return | |
| 16 | Snow College Ephraim, UT | Public | $60,889 | $5,552 | $7,000 | +542% | Strong return | |
| 17 | Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL | Public | $50,451 | $9,182 | $7,081 | +39% | Break-even | |
| 18 | Gulf Coast State College Panama City, FL | Public | $51,125 | $4,709 | $7,147 | +186% | Strong return | |
| 19 | South Florida State College Avon Park, FL | Public | $59,675 | $3,877 | $7,368 | +707% | Strong return | |
| 20 | Renton Technical College Renton, WA | Public | $40,595 | $8,296 | $7,920 | -222% | Poor return | |
| 21 | Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL | Public | $43,209 | $3,815 | $8,023 | -199% | Poor return | |
| 22 | Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL | Public | $45,905 | $7,177 | $8,250 | -72% | Poor return | |
| 23 | University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR | Public | $42,676 | $17,936 | $8,250 | -131% | Poor return | |
| 24 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-San German San German, PR | Private | $26,111 | $9,148 | $8,500 | -576% | Poor return | |
| 25 | Morgan Community College Fort Morgan, CO | Public | $39,213 | $9,266 | $8,501 | -244% | Poor return | |
| 26 | United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY | Public | $101,017 | $6,174 | $8,833 | +1,907% | Strong return | |
| 27 | Trinidad State College Trinidad, CO | Public | $38,689 | $10,772 | $8,908 | -236% | Poor return | |
| 28 | MiraCosta College Oceanside, CA | Public | $53,078 | $7,339 | $9,000 | +148% | Strong return | |
| 29 | Alpena Community College Alpena, MI | Public | $68,128 | $3,320 | $9,024 | +1,296% | Strong return | |
| 30 | Big Bend Community College Moses Lake, WA | Public | $45,789 | $12,210 | $9,166 | -85% | Poor return | |
| 31 | Miami Dade College Miami, FL | Public | $50,008 | $5,463 | $9,252 | +99% | Strong return | |
| 32 | Valencia College Orlando, FL | Public | $42,059 | $12,037 | $9,300 | -157% | Poor return | |
| 33 | Brigham Young University-Hawaii Laie, HI | Private | $40,206 | $16,774 | $9,413 | -168% | Poor return | |
| 34 | Brookline College-Phoenix Phoenix, AZ | For-profit | $36,349 | $30,072 | $9,500 | -170% | Poor return | |
| 35 | Pima Medical Institute-Tucson Tucson, AZ | For-profit | $47,403 | — | $9,500 | — | Not enough data | |
| 36 | Glendale Career College Glendale, CA | For-profit | $54,063 | $49,195 | $9,500 | -55% | Poor return | |
| 37 | Moorpark College Moorpark, CA | Public | $41,903 | $0 | $9,500 | — | Not enough data | |
| 38 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Guayama Guayama, PR | Private | $25,423 | $9,316 | $9,500 | -581% | Poor return | |
| 39 | NUC University Bayamon, PR | For-profit | $24,511 | $8,920 | $9,500 | -624% | Poor return | |
| 40 | Valley College-Martinsburg Martinsburg, WV | Private | $26,685 | $25,751 | $9,500 | -272% | Poor return | |
| 41 | The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest Houston, TX | For-profit | $35,642 | $27,830 | $9,500 | -182% | Poor return | |
| 42 | Arizona College of Nursing-Tempe Tempe, AZ | For-profit | $33,670 | $31,681 | $9,500 | -187% | Poor return | |
| 43 | Brookline College-Albuquerque Albuquerque, NM | For-profit | $35,658 | $37,459 | $9,500 | -161% | Poor return | |
| 44 | SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville Nashville, TN | For-profit | $28,220 | $24,700 | $9,500 | -264% | Poor return | |
| 45 | Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV | For-profit | — | $30,921 | $9,500 | — | Not enough data | |
| 46 | Pasco-Hernando State College New Port Richey, FL | Public | $43,375 | $5,203 | $9,535 | -167% | Poor return | |
| 47 | West Virginia Junior College-Morgantown Morgantown, WV | For-profit | $45,481 | $15,520 | $9,881 | -93% | Poor return | |
| 48 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | Private | $62,030 | $25,496 | $10,000 | +61% | Break-even | |
| 49 | Northwest College Powell, WY | Public | $32,607 | $7,463 | $10,000 | -470% | Poor return | |
| 50 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | Private | $110,017 | $18,809 | $10,250 | +723% | Strong return | |
| 51 | CUNY Queens College Queens, NY | Public | $67,283 | $4,195 | $10,298 | +985% | Strong return | |
| 52 | InterCoast Colleges-West Covina West Covina, CA | For-profit | $42,649 | $27,536 | $10,313 | -121% | Poor return | |
| 53 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Private | $105,756 | $6,128 | $10,320 | +2,049% | Strong return | |
| 54 | Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee, WA | Public | $41,592 | $9,722 | $10,332 | -180% | Poor return | |
| 55 | Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA | Public | $139,682 | $7,653 | $10,500 | +2,649% | Strong return | |
| 56 | Western Nevada College Carson City, NV | Public | $46,987 | $12,732 | $10,500 | -64% | Poor return | |
| 57 | Caribbean University-Bayamon Bayamon, PR | Private | $26,563 | $4,665 | $10,500 | -920% | Poor return | |
| 58 | Unitek College Fremont, CA | For-profit | $79,182 | $25,179 | $10,700 | +227% | Strong return | |
| 59 | Southern California Institute of Technology Anaheim, CA | For-profit | $65,459 | $33,392 | $10,798 | +49% | Break-even | |
| 60 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY | Public | $62,041 | $3,148 | $10,950 | +928% | Strong return | |
| 61 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY | Public | $68,331 | $3,103 | $11,000 | +1,321% | Strong return | |
| 62 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY | Public | $71,599 | $2,984 | $11,000 | +1,568% | Strong return | |
| 63 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY | Public | $61,792 | $3,203 | $11,000 | +898% | Strong return | |
| 64 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY | Public | $54,061 | $18,952 | $11,000 | +14% | Break-even | |
| 65 | Rice University Houston, TX | Private | $87,237 | $13,370 | $11,000 | +635% | Strong return | |
| 66 | South Puget Sound Community College Olympia, WA | Public | $53,192 | $9,132 | $11,000 | +102% | Strong return | |
| 67 | Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL | Public | $49,542 | $8,970 | $11,047 | +14% | Break-even | |
| 68 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Private | $70,249 | $15,564 | $11,069 | +281% | Strong return | |
| 69 | Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT | Private | $70,202 | $12,548 | $11,116 | +365% | Strong return | |
| 70 | Santa Fe College Gainesville, FL | Public | $56,403 | $11,098 | $11,310 | +135% | Strong return | |
| 71 | Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology Okmulgee, OK | Public | $63,058 | $10,999 | $11,334 | +275% | Strong return | |
| 72 | Brown University Providence, RI | Private | $79,577 | $25,184 | $11,428 | +230% | Strong return | |
| 73 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | Public | $85,456 | $3,033 | $11,512 | +2,378% | Strong return | |
| 74 | Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND | Public | $78,479 | $10,270 | $11,533 | +639% | Strong return | |
| 75 | Carrington College-Sacramento Sacramento, CA | For-profit | $42,788 | $41,338 | $11,537 | -113% | Poor return | |
| 76 | Pomona College Claremont, CA | Private | $131,742 | $19,285 | $11,782 | +965% | Strong return | |
| 77 | CUNY City College New York, NY | Public | $71,208 | $3,776 | $11,990 | +1,246% | Strong return | |
| 78 | Florida College Temple Terrace, FL | Private | $42,751 | $23,931 | $12,000 | -123% | Poor return | |
| 79 | Saint Johns River State College Palatka, FL | Public | $45,900 | $6,135 | $12,000 | -69% | Poor return | |
| 80 | Ranken Technical College Saint Louis, MO | Private | $59,592 | $18,795 | $12,000 | +83% | Strong return | |
| 81 | Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY | Public | $53,051 | $19,095 | $12,000 | 0% | Poor return | |
| 82 | James A. Rhodes State College Lima, OH | Public | $50,365 | $8,757 | $12,000 | +36% | Break-even | |
| 83 | Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH | Public | $43,753 | $5,992 | $12,000 | -144% | Poor return | |
| 84 | Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg, SC | Private | $32,131 | $14,580 | $12,000 | -305% | Poor return | |
| 85 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | Private | $145,453 | $13,807 | $12,000 | +1,585% | Strong return | |
| 86 | Clover Park Technical College Lakewood, WA | Public | $45,391 | $9,864 | $12,112 | -91% | Poor return | |
| 87 | Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, FL | Public | $44,304 | $6,440 | $12,250 | -123% | Poor return | |
| 88 | Parker University Dallas, TX | Private | $49,895 | $29,135 | $12,288 | -60% | Poor return | |
| 89 | Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT | Public | $51,197 | $10,462 | $12,500 | +34% | Break-even | |
| 90 | California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA | Public | $57,518 | $13,663 | $12,750 | +111% | Strong return | |
| 91 | Williams College Williamstown, MA | Private | $68,979 | $17,716 | $12,761 | +218% | Strong return | |
| 92 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | Public | $59,947 | $4,831 | $12,950 | +522% | Strong return | |
| 93 | Yale University New Haven, CT | Private | $100,484 | $23,777 | $12,975 | +456% | Strong return | |
| 94 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Public | $63,042 | $3,967 | $13,000 | +776% | Strong return | |
| 95 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Public | $89,838 | $13,481 | $13,000 | +664% | Strong return | |
| 96 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | Public | $74,836 | $14,741 | $13,000 | +368% | Strong return | |
| 97 | College of Central Florida Ocala, FL | Public | $47,742 | $12,088 | $13,000 | -48% | Poor return | |
| 98 | Duke University Durham, NC | Private | $104,531 | $29,612 | $13,000 | +383% | Strong return | |
| 99 | Eastwick College-Hackensack Hackensack, NJ | For-profit | $35,875 | $29,885 | $13,264 | -173% | Poor return | |
| 100 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA | Private | $151,744 | $28,849 | $13,500 | +787% | Strong return |
By state
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
Top-Rated Colleges (DR Rating)Best ROI Colleges in the U.S.Best Value CollegesHighest 20-Year ROI CollegesBest Colleges for Economic MobilityHighest-Earning CollegesLowest Net-Price CollegesBest-Rated Majors (DR Rating)Highest-Paying MajorsBest ROI MajorsLowest-Debt MajorsFastest-Growing Majors by Job OutlookMajors With the Most Job Openings