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 grad school search.
Students concerned about affording the cost of a college education and racking up significant student loan debt may want to consider schools where graduates who borrowed had lighter burdens.
Among the 1,044 ranked colleges that reported these data to U.S. News in an annual survey, 2017 graduates who took out loans owed an average of $29,938. However, among the 10 undergraduate programs where students who borrowed owed the least, the average debt burden was only $9,411.
[See: 10 Student Loan Facts College Grads Need to Know.]
Pensacola State College in Florida tops the list of schools where graduates who took out loans had the least average debt, at $3,239. Among these 10 schools, five are located in the northern U.S., four in the South and one in the West.
Schools across U.S. News’ ranking categories appear on the list. Pensacola State and three other schools on this list are Regional Colleges, or schools that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines.
Four of the 10 schools are Regional Universities, which are schools that offer a variety of undergraduate programs and some master’s programs but few doctoral programs.
There is also one National Liberal Arts College, which emphasizes undergraduate education and awards more than half of its degrees in liberal arts fields. The remaining institution on the list is Princeton University, the No. 1 National University, which is a research-focused school that offers a plethora of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees.
[Read: 5 Overlooked Ways to Pay for College.]
On the opposite end of the spectrum, among the 10 schools where 2017 graduates who borrowed had the most debt, the average amounted to $50,595.
Below is a list of the 10 colleges where 2017 graduates who borrowed loans to pay for school had the lowest 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 (state) | Average debt load, class of 2017 | Proportion of graduating students who borrowed | U.S News rank and category |
| Pensacola State College (FL) | $3,239 | 61% | 58 (tie), Regional Colleges (South) |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy (NY) | $3,852 | 25% | 3, Regional Colleges (North) |
| Berea College (KY) | $7,468 | 25% | 61 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Princeton University (NJ) | $9,005 | 17% | 1, National Universities |
| Alice Lloyd College (KY) | $9,828 | 66% | 16 (tie), Regional Colleges (South) |
| CUNY–Brooklyn College | $11,550 | 15% | 74 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| CUNY–Hunter College | $12,122 | 15% | 25 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Dixie State University (UT) | $12,201 | 86% | 26, Regional Colleges (West) |
| University of North Georgia | $12,345 | 53% | 58 (tie), Regional Universities (South) |
| CUNY–Baruch College | $12,500 | 22% | 20 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find student debt information, 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 2018 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 Jan. 29, 2019.
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10 Colleges Where Graduates Have the Least Debt originally appeared on usnews.com
