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Funding your college experience — and subsequently paying off student loans — can seem daunting. But students may be more likely to accumulate higher amounts of debt at certain institutions compared with others.
Among the 1,018 ranked colleges that submitted these data to U.S. News in an annual survey, 2016 graduates who had debt owed an average of $29,611. That average figure is significantly lower — at $9,872 — among the 10 schools where students who borrowed owed the least after graduation.
[Learn more about paying for college.]
Topping the list of schools where students racked up the least debt on average is the United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York, where 2016 grads who borrowed owed an average of $3,880. Students at the school don’t pay tuition; instead, they must fulfill a service requirement after graduation, though they do need to pay other expenses.
The 10 schools on the list vary in U.S. News rank and category; half of them are Regional Universities, which offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master’s programs but few doctoral programs.
Following the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is Berea College in Kentucky, a liberal arts college where 2016 grads with debt owed $7,062 on average. Next is Princeton University in New Jersey, the No. 1 ranked school among National Universities, which offer a range of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. The average student debt at the school was $8,908.
[Explore three tips for planning to take on your child’s college debt.]
On the opposite end of the spectrum, two ranked colleges reported to U.S. News that 2016 grads with debt owed an average of more than $50,000 after graduation — the Maine Maritime Academy and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
Below is a list of the 10 schools where 2016 graduates who borrowed for school had the lowest average debt, excluding colleges that reported $0. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School (state) | Average debt load, class of 2016 | Percentage of graduating students who borrowed | U.S. News rank and category |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy (NY) | $3,880 | 24 | 3, Regional Colleges (North) |
| Berea College (KY) | $7,062 | 65 | 68 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Princeton University (NJ) | $8,908 | 18 | 1, National Universities |
| CUNY–Lehman College | $9,227 | 30 | 137 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| University of North Georgia | $10,062 | 46 | 61 (tie), Regional Universities (South) |
| Alice Lloyd College (KY) | $10,714 | 68 | 7, Regional Colleges (South) |
| CUNY–Brooklyn College | $10,743 | 17 | 86 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| California State University–Bakersfield | $11,437 | 91 | 94, Regional Universities (West) |
| Texas A&M University–Texarkana | $13,274 | 66 | 96-126, Regional Universities (West) |
| Wellesley College (MA) | $13,415 | 48 | 3 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
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 2017 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 average debt data above are correct as of Feb. 27, 2018.
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10 Colleges Where Graduates Have the Least Debt originally appeared on usnews.com
