limnath

Folks,

I don't know if there is any information out there regarding this question.

Does anyone know a reliable list of colleges/universities (be they public or private) where students graduate with the most and least debt ?

I am sure readers of this thread would be helped a lot by this information.

Thanks Much.

world changer

I'd imagine that students graduate with the least amount of debt at their instate publics.

I don't know of any particular lists, but public schools with large instate populations would probably top off the list. Because the majority of the student body would be going almost for free.

limnath

Thanks for your response.

I would expect state colleges to be cheaper for IN-STATE residents of course.

But what about the debt load after graduation for out-of-state residents and private colleges ?

Is there any info out there that can help us ?

UCBChemEGrad

US News and World Report has a listing of average student debt from 2006. It can be found on the following link:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/col.../debtindex.php
You have to pay for subscription, but I posted some of the data for national universities.

Most Debt - National Universities:
School, % of grads with debt, Average amount of debt
Seton Hall University (NJ) 61% $37,724
New York University 61% $34,417
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) 83% $34,409
University of North Dakota * 72% $33,032
Pace University (NY) 72% $32,980
Iowa State University * 69% $32,130
Pepperdine University (CA) 62% $31,718
Nova Southeastern University (FL) 69% $31,368
Drexel University (PA) 75% $31,333
Hofstra University (NY) 52% $31,196
University of St. Thomas (MN) 66% $31,065
New School (NY) 68% $31,039
St. John's University (NY) 73% $29,920
George Washington University (DC) 40% $29,304
University of La Verne (CA) 66% $28,856
Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) 72% $28,829
St. Mary's University of Minnesota 74% $28,500
Long Island University–C.W. Post Campus (NY) 79% $28,125
University of San Francisco 64% $28,000
Florida A&M University * 82% $27,640
University of Rochester (NY) 56% $27,497
Carnegie Mellon University (PA) 52% $27,395
Temple University (PA)* 70% $27,355
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY) 75% $27,235
Duquesne University (PA) 80% $27,080
University of Denver 47% $27,008
Fordham University (NY) 64% $26,879
St. Louis University 67% $26,754
University of San Diego 38% $26,639
University of Notre Dame (IN) 57% $26,285
Florida Institute of Technology 66% $25,768
Marquette University (WI) 65% $25,753
University of Tulsa (OK) 54% $25,692
Pacific University (OR) 90% $25,683
Lehigh University (PA) 53% $25,603
Loyola University Chicago 67% $25,470
Andrews University (MI) 68% $25,084
Polytechnic University (NY) 75% $25,012
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry * 92% $25,000
Cornell University (NY) 55% $24,928
Georgetown University (DC) 46% $24,816
University of Alaska–Fairbanks * 55% $24,698
University of Miami (FL) 58% $24,673
Emory University (GA) 39% $24,272
Case Western Reserve University (OH) 56% $24,098
University of New Hampshire * 72% $23,928
Michigan State University * 55% $23,620
University of Vermont * 61% $23,557
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor * 44% $23,533
Pennsylvania State University–University Park * 66% $23,500
Syracuse University (NY) 64% $23,500
Duke University (NC) 40% $23,499
Tennessee State University * 82% $23,119
Bowling Green State University (OH)* 74% $22,929
Boston University 59% $22,913
University of Maryland–Baltimore County * 46% $22,856
Clark University (MA) 93% $22,600
* 67% $22,542
University of Missouri–Rolla * 65% $22,500
University of New Orleans * 36% $22,350
Miami University–Oxford (OH)* 52% $22,255
Kent State University (OH)* 72% $22,230
Golden Gate University (CA) 45% $21,780
University of Memphis * 22% $21,703
Dartmouth College (NH) 52% $21,561
Auburn University (AL)* 64% $21,256
Tulane University (LA) 43% $21,243
University of Pennsylvania 41% $20,927
Wichita State University (KS)* 61% $20,875
Virginia Commonwealth University * 66% $20,828
Indiana State University * 69% $20,764
University of Dayton (OH) 76% $20,731
South Dakota State University * 81% $20,682
Wake Forest University (NC) 37% $20,655
North Dakota State University * 62% $20,581
Boston College 53% $20,350
Texas Tech University * 55% $20,333
University of Connecticut * 60% $20,303
University of Wisconsin–Madison * 47% $20,282
University of Alabama–Huntsville * 30% $20,273
Idaho State University * 71% $20,253
University of Iowa * 61% $20,234
University of South Dakota * 88% $20,163
Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN)* 47% $20,102
University of Cincinnati * 47% $20,052
University of Idaho * 69% $20,002
Brandeis University (MA) 67% $19,892
Virginia Tech * 52% $19,807
Mississippi State University * 43% $19,780
American University (DC) 50% $19,766
Northern Illinois University * 38% $19,764
Indiana University–Bloomington * 53% $19,756
Oregon State University * 60% $19,550
Oklahoma State University * 59% $19,547
Vanderbilt University (TN) 38% $19,429
University of South Carolina–Columbia * 44% $19,360
University of Oklahoma * 52% $19,206
University of Kansas * 43% $19,203
Ohio University * 63% $19,194
Texas A&M University–Commerce * 67% $19,032
University of Missouri–Columbia * 59% $18,983
Montana State University * 65% $18,914
Northwestern University (IL) 46% $18,860
University of Oregon * 59% $18,813
University of North Carolina–Greensboro * 61% $18,804
Azusa Pacific University (CA) 58% $18,777
University of Alabama–Birmingham * 41% $18,764
University of Alabama * 41% $18,700
Washington State University * 60% $18,692
Samford University (AL) 46% $18,501
University of Southern California 54% $18,257
University of Tennessee * 47% $18,254
Texas A&M University–College Station * 50% $18,247
University of Missouri–Kansas City * 97% $18,227
University of Arkansas * 46% $18,172
Georgia Southern University * 66% $18,146
University of Missouri–St. Louis * 65% $18,143
Ohio State University–Columbus * 56% $18,130
University of Nebraska–Lincoln * 63% $18,119
DePaul University (IL) 65% $18,053
Yeshiva University (NY) 45% $18,034
Colorado State University * 54% $17,975
University of Nevada–Las Vegas * 43% $17,960
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 45% $17,956
George Fox University (OR) 78% $17,903
University of Maryland–College Park * 44% $17,731
Clemson University (SC)* 49% $17,544

Least Debt - National Universities:
School, % of grads with debt, Average amount of debt
Princeton University (NJ) 26% $4,965
California Institute of Technology 34% $5,156
Harvard University (MA) 42% $9,717
Howard University (DC) 88% $10,868
Utah State University * 25% $11,040
University of Massachusetts–Amherst * 55% $11,227
Louisiana Tech University * 62% $11,765
SUNY–Albany * 64% $11,856
University of Hawaii–Manoa * 27% $11,950
University of California–Irvine * 52% $12,074
Clark Atlanta University 70% $12,900
University of Central Florida * 42% $13,053
University of Colorado–Denver and Health Sciences Center * 44% $13,082
Florida State University * 50% $13,290
Yale University (CT) 32% $13,344
University of Georgia * 41% $13,478
Brigham Young University–Provo (UT) 30% $13,714
University of Utah * 39% $13,741
University of California–Davis * 46% $13,835
Tufts University (MA) 36% $14,200
University of California–Santa Cruz * 51% $14,381
Michigan Technological University * 58% $14,453
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill * 32% $14,487
San Diego State University * 48% $14,700
North Carolina State University–Raleigh * 48% $14,719
University of California–Berkeley * 44% $14,751
College of William and Mary (VA)* 32% $14,770
SUNY–Stony Brook * 59% $14,799
University of Massachusetts–Boston * 84% $14,805
University of California–Riverside * 62% $14,965
New Jersey Institute of Technology * 40% $15,000
University of Florida * 44% $15,045
SUNY–Binghamton * 60% $15,167
University of California–San Diego * 46% $15,170
University of Pittsburgh * 51% $15,331
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign * 51% $15,413
University of Massachusetts–Lowell * 58% $15,469
University of Illinois–Chicago * 54% $15,571
Southern Illinois University–Carbondale * 42% $15,748
Stanford University (CA) 46% $15,758
George Mason University (VA)* 48% $15,791
University of California–Santa Barbara * 48% $15,808
Rice University (TX) 41% $15,876
University of Montana * 71% $15,876
Clarkson University (NY) 66% $15,954
University of California–Los Angeles * 46% $15,996
Northern Arizona University * 57% $16,015
University of Akron (OH)* 60% $16,105
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–New Brunswick (NJ)* 65% $16,283
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee * 74% $16,683
Old Dominion University (VA)* 80% $16,850
Georgia Institute of Technology * 49% $16,875
University of Virginia * 33% $16,903
Oakland University (MI)* 48% $16,908
Johns Hopkins University (MD) 53% $16,932
University of Texas–Austin * 40% $17,000
Brown University (RI) 50% $17,007
Illinois State University * 55% $17,015
University of Colorado–Boulder * 40% $17,141
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–Newark (NJ)* 89% $17,143
University of Delaware * 44% $17,200
Columbia University (NY) 44% $17,275
Central Michigan University * 65% $17,365
University of Arizona * 44% $17,392

tommybill

in the last few weeks several schools have done away with loans replacing them with grants....no debt upon graduation.

For the most part these have been very select schools…

Look up Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Pomona there are others Harvard Yale ect….

historymom

Scripps grads have an average of just $16,000 in debt. Not bad for an education that costs over 40K

iHojs2

thx ucbchemegrad. was just searching for that exact info online and found your post. lining up my packages now as they come in. it has not been encouraging to this point, even if i am a lauded 'presidential scholar' and so on...lol
here's hoping for my number one....it would be sweet, in all regards.

keepmesane

Keep in mind that this is debt in student's name only. It does not take into account any debt that parents may have had to take on such as Parent's Plus Loans, loans against equity, etc.

world changer

Berea is tuition free.

kyledavid80

Not necessarily. The student may still take out loans if he/she doesn't want to do work-study, and many do. So the debt figures will still be >0 even years from now.

hoedown

keepmesane is absolutely right--schools don't necessarily have access to the other kinds of borrowing that families do. Some borrow to pay their EFC, which is maybe more of a lifestyle choice, but some may also borrow to meet the gap left by unmet need (and yes, some schools will gap you).

Another source of debt info is The Project on Student Debt. http://projectonstudentdebt.org/

chicagoboy12

These have changed quite a bit this year. I know that Princeton Review used to do a list, and NYU always had the most debt.

elsijfdl

Northwestern just replaced any loans students were receiving over $20,000 with grants so that the most any student would be borrowing was $20,000.

hoedown

FWIW, the website I listed above also keeps a fairly up-to-date list of the various institutions who have programs to reduce or eliminate loans. That can be helpful for keeping on top of who is offering what, and whose previous reported loan figures may no longer be relevant.