Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio
Ten-year median earnings divided by median federal debt at graduation. Higher means graduates out-earn what they borrowed by more.
Ranked by earnings per dollar borrowed · 1,627 of 2,406 institutions report this measure · Compiled 2026-09-01
Chase these schools
Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
#3
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
#4
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
#6
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
- 1Berea CollegeBerea, KY · Private12.02×Compare nearby
- 2Laredo CollegeLaredo, TX · Public11.47×Compare nearby
- 3Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private10.67×Compare nearby
Also on 11 other lists
- Engineering#1
- English Language & Literature#1
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#3
- Most Selective Colleges in America#6
- Public Administration#10
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#11
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#14
- the Highest SAT Averages#14
- Psychology#15
- the Highest ACT Scores#20
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#24
- 4Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private10.34×Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Computer Science#2
- Biological Sciences#3
- Engineering Technology#3
- Most Selective Colleges in America#3
- Psychology#6
- the Highest SAT Averages#6
- the Highest ACT Scores#7
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#7
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#7
- Area & Ethnic Studies#8
- Social Sciences#8
- Engineering#10
- English Language & Literature#18
- Multidisciplinary Studies#22
- Are Least Likely to Leave#24
- 5United States Merchant Marine AcademyKings Point, NY · Public10.26×Compare nearby
- 6Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private9.71×Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#1
- Biological Sciences#1
- Business#1
- Liberal Arts#1
- Multidisciplinary Studies#2
- Physical Sciences#2
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#3
- the Highest SAT Averages#4
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#5
- Most Selective Colleges in America#7
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#8
- Computer Science#10
- Engineering#11
- Mathematics & Statistics#12
- Are Least Likely to Leave#14
- 7San Diego Mesa CollegeSan Diego, CA · Public9.55×Compare nearby
- 8Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private8.54×Compare nearby
- 9Cascadia CollegeBothell, WA · Public8.50×Compare nearby
- 10Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · Private8.48×Compare nearby
- 11Brown UniversityProvidence, RI · Private8.18×Compare nearby
- 12Rio Hondo CollegeWhittier, CA · Public8.17×Compare nearby
- 13Rice UniversityHouston, TX · Private8.16×Compare nearby
- 14Brazosport CollegeLake Jackson, TX · Public8.14×Compare nearby
- 15St. Augustine CollegeChicago, IL · Private8.08×Compare nearby
- 16Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA · Private7.76×Compare nearby
- 17Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Private7.75×Compare nearby
Also on 13 other lists
- History#1
- English Language & Literature#5
- Most Selective Colleges in America#5
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#7
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#7
- Computer Science#9
- Social Sciences#9
- Multidisciplinary Studies#10
- the Highest ACT Scores#11
- Are Least Likely to Leave#15
- the Highest SAT Averages#15
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#16
- Psychology#24
- 18Albizu University-San JuanSan Juan, PR · Private7.55×Compare nearby
- 19Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbock, TX · Public7.53×Compare nearby
- 20Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private7.52×Compare nearby
- 21Unitek CollegeFremont, CA · For-profit7.43×Compare nearby
- 22Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · Private7.43×Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Public Administration#1
- Mathematics & Statistics#11
- Psychology#11
- Communications#13
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#17
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#19
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#19
- Computer Science#20
- the Highest ACT Scores#21
- Architecture#21
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#23
- Are Least Likely to Leave#23
- the Highest SAT Averages#23
- Most Selective Colleges in America#23
- Area & Ethnic Studies#25
- 23Helene Fuld College of NursingNew York, NY · Private7.28×Compare nearby
- 24Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Private7.27×Compare nearby
Also on 13 other lists
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#2
- Most Selective Colleges in America#2
- the Highest ACT Scores#3
- Psychology#3
- the Highest SAT Averages#3
- Biological Sciences#4
- Computer Science#4
- Mathematics & Statistics#6
- English Language & Literature#8
- History#8
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#10
- Are Least Likely to Leave#18
- Social Sciences#21
- 25University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · Public7.11×Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Earnings per dollar borrowed — sorted highest to lowest
- Source variable
MD_EARN_WNE_P10 ÷ GRAD_DEBT_MDN- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Four-year, main-campus institutions awarding bachelor's degrees or higher (2,406 schools).
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded so that small-cohort medians do not distort the ranking.
- 1,627 of 2,406 institutions report this measure; the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
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- Sports at Berea CollegeEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
Best Earnings Return per Dollar of Cost
Ten-year median earnings divided by annual cost of attendance. A blunt ratio of two published figures, not a return-on-investment model.
Where Graduates Borrow the Least
Median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed a degree. Excludes private loans and parent PLUS borrowing.
Colleges Whose Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out
Median earnings a decade after students first enrolled — the longest earnings horizon the College Scorecard publishes.