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In the years after college, graduates may forget the names of their professors or even some of the classes they took. One thing many won’t forget, however, is how much they owe.
Nearly 70 percent of 2015 graduates from public and private nonprofit schools had student debt, according to a 2016 report from the Institute for College Access and Success. And it can take graduates years, or even decades, to pay it off.
At some schools — such as Louisiana’s Grambling State University, where 99 percent of 2015 grads borrowed — the student debt load can be especially high. The average debt among student borrowers at Grambling was $51,887, the highest average debt load for the Class of 2015 among 1,020 ranked institutions that submitted these data to U.S. News.
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Of the 10 schools where graduates who borrowed had the most debt, Wesleyan College in Georgia had the fewest students who borrowed — 43 percent — and Dillard University in Louisiana had the most at 100 percent.
Only one National University made the list: Stevens Institute of Technology. At the New Jersey school, 75 percent of the Class of 2015 borrowed to pay for college, according to U.S. News data. The average need-based scholarship or grant for all Stevens undergrads was $12,723, and 63 percent of all full-time students received some form of need-based financial aid.
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Among borrowers at all 1,020 ranked schools that submitted these data to U.S. News, those from Missouri’s College of the Ozarks carried the least debt: $5,339. The college has a work-education program that allows students to reduce the cost of tuition and fees through on-campus jobs. Just 1 percent of graduates from Judson University, a Regional University in Illinois, carried debt — the lowest percentage of all schools.
Here are the 10 schools where 2015 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 2015 | Percentage of students who borrowed | U.S. News rank and category |
| Grambling State University (LA) | $51,887 | 99 | RNP*, Regional Universities (South) |
| Maine Maritime Academy | $49,272 | 82 | 5, Regional Colleges (North) |
| Wesleyan College (GA) | $48,460 | 43 | 140 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) | $48,244 | 75 | 71 (tie), National Universities |
| Post University (CT) | $48,077 | 80 | RNP, Regional Universities (North) |
| Quinnipiac University (CT) | $47,873 | 67 | 11 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Sacred Heart University (CT) | $47,715 | 72 | 44 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Mount Ida College (MA) | $47,636 | 92 | 27 (tie), Regional Colleges (North) |
| Dillard University (LA) | $47,297 | 100 | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Tabor College (KS) | $47,172 | 84 | 41 (tie), Regional Colleges (Midwest) |
* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking 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 student debt data, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.
U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2016 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 student debt data above are correct as of July 4, 2017.
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10 Colleges Where Grads Have High Debt originally appeared on usnews.com
