Where Graduates Borrow the Most
Median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed a degree. Excludes private loans and parent PLUS borrowing — the other end of the debt list.
Ranked by median debt at graduation · 1,636 of 2,406 institutions report this measure · Compiled 2026-09-01
- 1Provo CollegeProvo, UT · For-profit$41,733Compare nearby
- 2Everglades UniversityBoca Raton, FL · Private$38,996Compare nearby
- 3Grambling State UniversityGrambling, LA · Public$36,500Compare nearby
- 4Allen UniversityColumbia, SC · Private$34,290Compare nearby
- 5Goodwin UniversityEast Hartford, CT · Private$33,500Compare nearby
- 6West Coast University-Los AngelesNorth Hollywood, CA · For-profit$32,946Compare nearby
- 7Shaw UniversityRaleigh, NC · Private$32,500Compare nearby
- 8Benedict CollegeColumbia, SC · Private$32,500Compare nearby
- 9Laurus CollegeSan Luis Obispo, CA · For-profit$32,416Compare nearby
- 10University of Phoenix-ArizonaPhoenix, AZ · For-profit$31,553Compare nearby
- 11Ashford UniversitySan Diego, CA · For-profit$31,250Compare nearby
- 12Peirce CollegePhiladelphia, PA · Private$31,250Compare nearby
- 13Miles CollegeFairfield, AL · Private$31,217Compare nearby
- 14Livingstone CollegeSalisbury, NC · Private$31,125Compare nearby
- 15Alabama A & M UniversityNormal, AL · Public$31,000Compare nearby
- 16Alabama State UniversityMontgomery, AL · Public$31,000Compare nearby
- 17Academy of Art UniversitySan Francisco, CA · For-profit$31,000Compare nearby
- 18Art Center College of DesignPasadena, CA · Private$31,000Compare nearby
- 19Rocky Mountain College of Art and DesignLakewood, CO · For-profit$31,000Compare nearby
- 20Bethune-Cookman UniversityDaytona Beach, FL · Private$31,000Compare nearby
- 21Fort Valley State UniversityFort Valley, GA · Public$31,000Compare nearby
- 22Dillard UniversityNew Orleans, LA · Private$31,000Compare nearby
- 23Southern University at New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · Public$31,000Compare nearby
- 24South Carolina State UniversityOrangeburg, SC · Public$31,000Compare nearby
- 25Texas CollegeTyler, TX · Private$31,000Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Median debt at graduation — sorted highest to lowest
- Source variable
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.
- 1,636 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
- Re-rank with your weightsTune affordability, earnings, and fit yourself
- Showdown: Provo College vs Everglades UniversityHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Provo CollegeEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
Where Graduates Borrow the Least
Median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed a degree. Excludes private loans and parent PLUS borrowing.
Highest Average Net Price
What students actually pay after grant aid, averaged across aided undergraduates — not the sticker price. The other end of the affordability list.
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.