The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.
It’s no secret that attending college can be a costly investment. And graduates from some schools feel the financial burden more than others.
Nationwide student loan balances exceeded $1.3 trillion in 2015 — more than any other type of household debt except for mortgages, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
[Learn to beef up job skills without going deeper into student loan debt.]
Among the 1,033 ranked institutions that submitted these data to U.S. News in an annual survey, MacMurray College in Illinois topped the list of schools where students who borrowed graduated with the highest average debt load in 2014. Students at the college borrowed an average of $50,039.
For the class of 2014, the average student debt burden was $28,110 for those who borrowed. If students pay a 6 percent interest rate on that debt, $28,110 translates to $312 per month under the standard 10-year repayment plan, according to an online repayment calculator. When it comes to student loans, especially private ones, interest rates can vary.
On average, 69 percent of 2014 graduates borrowed money to attend college, according to the 1,054 ranked colleges reporting that figure to U.S. News.
[Explore 10 steps to help minimize student loan debt.]
Five of the 10 schools where students had the highest average debt load for the class of 2014 are in Massachusetts, and two are in Connecticut.
Below is a list of the 10 schools where 2014 graduates who borrowed for undergraduate programs had the highest average debt. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School name (state) | Average debt load, class of 2014 | Percentage of students who borrowed | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacMurray College (IL) | $50,039 | 86 | 57 (tie), Regional Colleges (Midwest) |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology (MA) | $48,980 | 82 | 13, Regional Colleges (North) |
| Wheelock College (MA) | $46,690 | 85 | 92 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Mount Ida College (MA) | $46,430 | 90.5 | 38 (tie), Regional Colleges (North) |
| Quinnipiac University (CT) | $45,711 | 71 | 11 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Pacific Union College (CA) | $45,390 | 77 | RNP*, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Dean College (MA) | $44,063 | 73 | 31, Regional Colleges (North) |
| Abilene Christian University (TX) | $43,841 | 67 | 17 (tie), Regional Universities (West) |
| University of New Haven (CT) | $43,472 | 84 | 92 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Curry College (MA) | $43,388 | 81 | RNP, Regional Universities (North) |
*RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its rankings category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find data on student debt, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2015 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The debt data above are correct as of June 21, 2016.
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