Where Graduates Borrow the Least
Median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed a degree. Excludes private loans and parent PLUS borrowing.
Ranked by median debt at graduation · 1,636 of 2,406 institutions report this measure · Compiled 2026-09-01
- 1Laredo CollegeLaredo, TX · Public$2,959Compare nearby
- 2Berea CollegeBerea, KY · Private$3,591Compare nearby
- 3St. Augustine CollegeChicago, IL · Private$4,423Compare nearby
- 4University of Puerto Rico-AreciboArecibo, PR · Public$4,500Compare nearby
- 5San Diego Mesa CollegeSan Diego, CA · Public$4,725Compare nearby
- 6North American UniversityStafford, TX · Private$4,925Compare nearby
- 7University of Puerto Rico at CayeyCayey, PR · Public$5,000Compare nearby
- 8Inter American University of Puerto Rico-BarranquitasBarranquitas, PR · Private$5,200Compare nearby
- 9Atlantic UniversityGuaynabo, PR · Private$5,457Compare nearby
- 10Rio Hondo CollegeWhittier, CA · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 11Del Mar CollegeCorpus Christi, TX · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 12Albizu University-San JuanSan Juan, PR · Private$5,500Compare nearby
- 13University of Puerto Rico-AguadillaAguadilla, PR · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 14University of Puerto Rico-BayamonBayamon, PR · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 15University of Puerto Rico-CarolinaCarolina, PR · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 16University of Puerto Rico-HumacaoHumacao, PR · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 17University of Puerto Rico at PoncePonce, PR · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 18University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasSan Juan, PR · Public$5,500Compare nearby
- 19Brazosport CollegeLake Jackson, TX · Public$5,641Compare nearby
- 20Inter American University of Puerto Rico-FajardoFajardo, PR · Private$5,750Compare nearby
- 21College of the MainlandTexas City, TX · Public$5,960Compare nearby
- 22Northern New Mexico CollegeEspanola, NM · Public$6,000Compare nearby
- 23Columbia Central University-CaguasCaguas, PR · For-profit$6,148Compare nearby
- 24Inter American University of Puerto Rico-AguadillaAguadilla, PR · Private$6,250Compare nearby
- 25Cascadia CollegeBothell, WA · Public$6,368Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Median debt at graduation — sorted lowest to highest
- 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: Laredo College vs Berea CollegeHigher-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 Laredo CollegeEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
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.
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.
Lowest Average Net Price
What students actually pay after grant aid, averaged across aided undergraduates — not the sticker price.