Cost and outcomes · 2026 edition
Colleges with Low Debt and High Completion Rates 2026
Find colleges with reported completion rates of at least 70% and median federal debt among completers of $20,000 or less.
By College Index · Dataset: · Analysis updated: 2026-09-04
How this comparison works
Includes schools with reported completion rates of at least 70% and nonnegative median federal debt among completers of $20,000 or less. Ordered by debt, lowest first; ties use completion rate, highest first, then federal school ID. Missing values are excluded, not replaced with zero.
105 of 1,219 schools meet these criteria. 1114 do not meet them or lack required data. Showing 100; the download contains every qualifying school.
Source definitions, coverage, and reporting datesMedian federal debt among completers does not measure all borrowing or the debt of students who leave without completing. Completion figures describe the source cohort and do not predict an individual outcome. Consider both cost and the support available to help you finish.
Download this comparison (CSV)| Rank | College | Annual net price | Completion rate | Annual earnings¹ | Federal debt² | Admission rate | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellesley College Wellesley, MA · Private Nonprofit | $25,496 | 91.4% | $84,803 | $10,000 | 14.1% | |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD · Private Nonprofit | $18,809 | 94.2% | $87,555 | $10,250 | 6.4% | |
| 3 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ · Private Nonprofit | $6,128 | 97.4% | $110,066 | $10,320 | 4.6% | |
| 4 | Rice University Houston, TX · Private Nonprofit | $13,370 | 95.2% | $89,718 | $11,000 | 8.0% | |
| 5 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT · Private Nonprofit | $15,564 | 81.6% | $75,790 | $11,069 | 67.8% | |
| 6 | Brown University Providence, RI · Private Nonprofit | $25,184 | 95.7% | $93,487 | $11,428 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY · Public | $3,033 | 72.1% | $75,971 | $11,512 | 47.5% | |
| 8 | Pomona College Claremont, CA · Private Nonprofit | $19,285 | 93.2% | $77,779 | $11,782 | 7.1% | |
| 9 | Stanford University Stanford, CA · Private Nonprofit | $13,807 | 92.4% | $124,080 | $12,000 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Williams College Williamstown, MA · Private Nonprofit | $17,716 | 95.1% | $88,665 | $12,761 | 8.3% | |
| 11 | Yale University New Haven, CT · Private Nonprofit | $23,777 | 96.0% | $100,533 | $12,975 | 3.9% | |
| 12 | Duke University Durham, NC · Private Nonprofit | $29,612 | 96.3% | $97,800 | $13,000 | 5.7% | |
| 13 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public | $13,481 | 92.9% | $92,446 | $13,000 | 11.0% | |
| 14 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public | $14,741 | 85.4% | $80,838 | $13,000 | 41.8% | |
| 15 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA · Private Nonprofit | $28,849 | 93.3% | $104,736 | $13,500 | 9.6% | |
| 16 | Scripps College Claremont, CA · Private Nonprofit | $36,294 | 85.1% | $77,539 | $13,500 | 38.3% | |
| 17 | Haverford College Haverford, PA · Private Nonprofit | $25,314 | 89.5% | $79,966 | $13,621 | 12.4% | |
| 18 | Amherst College Amherst, MA · Private Nonprofit | $23,367 | 93.7% | $77,644 | $13,740 | 9.0% | |
| 19 | Middlebury College Middlebury, VT · Private Nonprofit | $31,483 | 92.0% | $76,310 | $13,857 | 10.8% | |
| 20 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA · Public | $16,109 | 84.3% | $74,915 | $13,993 | 33.0% | |
| 21 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA · Private Nonprofit | $19,066 | 97.5% | $101,817 | $14,000 | 3.6% | |
| 22 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY · Private Nonprofit | $28,690 | 95.3% | $104,043 | $14,000 | 8.8% | |
| 23 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN · Private Nonprofit | $15,846 | 93.1% | $91,565 | $14,000 | 5.9% | |
| 24 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public | $12,548 | 92.6% | $82,511 | $14,000 | 9.0% | |
| 25 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public | $11,655 | 91.6% | $72,200 | $14,000 | 15.3% | |
| 26 | Bates College Lewiston, ME · Private Nonprofit | $29,351 | 90.1% | $69,498 | $14,275 | 13.3% | |
| 27 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public | $14,091 | 84.5% | $78,466 | $14,615 | 39.1% | |
| 28 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA · Private Nonprofit | $20,111 | 96.2% | $143,372 | $14,768 | 4.5% | |
| 29 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Private Nonprofit | $29,167 | 95.5% | $89,363 | $15,000 | 7.7% | |
| 30 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL · Private Nonprofit | $14,860 | 95.4% | $91,885 | $15,000 | 4.5% | |
| 31 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public | $6,541 | 91.3% | $71,588 | $15,000 | 24.2% | |
| 32 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY · Private Nonprofit | $28,786 | 90.9% | $85,139 | $15,000 | 13.9% | |
| 33 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public | $14,251 | 86.4% | $80,735 | $15,000 | 28.6% | |
| 34 | University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL · Public | $4,815 | 81.2% | $71,588 | $15,000 | 61.3% | |
| 35 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public | $15,364 | 77.3% | $64,909 | $15,000 | 36.2% | |
| 36 | Georgetown University Washington, DC · Private Nonprofit | $40,815 | 94.5% | $103,494 | $15,500 | 12.9% | |
| 37 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA · Public | $12,470 | 86.8% | $84,943 | $15,500 | 26.7% | |
| 38 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA · Private Nonprofit | $28,699 | 96.7% | $111,371 | $15,715 | 5.4% | |
| 39 | Lafayette College Easton, PA · Private Nonprofit | $34,433 | 87.8% | $91,410 | $16,000 | 31.4% | |
| 40 | Tufts University Medford, MA · Private Nonprofit | $39,998 | 93.4% | $83,214 | $16,250 | 11.5% | |
| 41 | Florida International University Miami, FL · Public | $9,288 | 74.2% | $60,249 | $16,500 | 54.7% | |
| 42 | University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · Public | $17,890 | 74.8% | $68,396 | $16,666 | 65.8% | |
| 43 | Carleton College Northfield, MN · Private Nonprofit | $25,407 | 90.4% | $75,525 | $16,750 | 20.4% | |
| 44 | Pitzer College Claremont, CA · Private Nonprofit | $34,191 | 83.3% | $69,512 | $16,750 | 25.2% | |
| 45 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT · Private Nonprofit | $30,177 | 92.1% | $73,897 | $17,000 | 16.5% | |
| 46 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY · Private Nonprofit | $28,985 | 90.9% | $78,411 | $17,000 | 13.6% | |
| 47 | Dartmouth College Hanover, NH · Private Nonprofit | $29,519 | 95.8% | $97,434 | $17,500 | 5.4% | |
| 48 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA · Public | $21,565 | 95.5% | $86,863 | $17,500 | 16.8% | |
| 49 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO · Private Nonprofit | $21,786 | 94.3% | $86,182 | $17,500 | 12.1% | |
| 50 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA · Private Nonprofit | $23,149 | 93.2% | $80,257 | $17,500 | 7.5% | |
| 51 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA · Private Nonprofit | $17,648 | 87.8% | $62,830 | $17,500 | 14.5% | |
| 52 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL · Private Nonprofit | $37,244 | 84.0% | $75,328 | $17,500 | 18.9% | |
| 53 | University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA · Public | $14,304 | 76.3% | $67,699 | $17,500 | 76.4% | |
| 54 | Smith College Northampton, MA · Private Nonprofit | $27,579 | 89.4% | $64,027 | $17,550 | 21.0% | |
| 55 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public | $21,315 | 83.9% | $72,097 | $17,804 | 57.4% | |
| 56 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public | $9,812 | 75.7% | $57,743 | $17,988 | 43.2% | |
| 57 | Barnard College New York, NY · Private Nonprofit | $28,800 | 93.0% | $80,516 | $18,000 | 8.8% | |
| 58 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private Nonprofit | $32,740 | 91.9% | $92,498 | $18,000 | 9.8% | |
| 59 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public | $11,297 | 84.3% | $61,675 | $18,000 | 24.2% | |
| 60 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public | $18,267 | 75.3% | $68,227 | $18,000 | 65.1% | |
| 61 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public | $10,411 | 76.6% | $58,308 | $18,190 | 40.1% | |
| 62 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY · Public | $18,784 | 76.7% | $74,502 | $18,228 | 49.0% | |
| 63 | Emory University Atlanta, GA · Private Nonprofit | $22,585 | 91.4% | $80,137 | $18,250 | 10.7% | |
| 64 | Yeshiva University New York, NY · Private Nonprofit | $49,965 | 83.5% | $71,353 | $18,250 | 55.6% | |
| 65 | Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO · Private Nonprofit | $25,884 | 75.1% | $67,102 | $18,250 | 69.6% | |
| 66 | Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO · Private Nonprofit | $33,375 | 86.8% | $65,222 | $18,257 | 18.5% | |
| 67 | Whitman College Walla Walla, WA · Private Nonprofit | $33,313 | 80.7% | $67,589 | $18,437 | 38.1% | |
| 68 | Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME · Private Nonprofit | $14,398 | 95.4% | $82,735 | $18,500 | 7.1% | |
| 69 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA · Public | $19,096 | 90.2% | $73,490 | $18,500 | 34.1% | |
| 70 | University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public | $13,936 | 88.9% | $68,726 | $18,500 | 37.7% | |
| 71 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA · Public | $16,665 | 85.7% | $90,768 | $18,500 | 31.3% | |
| 72 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY · Public | $21,620 | 82.6% | $80,596 | $18,500 | 38.6% | |
| 73 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH · Private Nonprofit | $38,512 | 84.4% | $71,830 | $18,527 | 31.0% | |
| 74 | Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY · Private Nonprofit | $39,343 | 90.1% | $71,366 | $18,625 | 18.6% | |
| 75 | Davidson College Davidson, NC · Private Nonprofit | $17,379 | 91.5% | $81,400 | $18,688 | 13.4% | |
| 76 | State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY · Public | $18,809 | 70.3% | $58,073 | $18,750 | 61.6% | |
| 77 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN · Private Nonprofit | $26,780 | 96.0% | $99,980 | $19,000 | 11.3% | |
| 78 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA · Private Nonprofit | $41,704 | 90.9% | $103,937 | $19,000 | 16.4% | |
| 79 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public | $15,678 | 88.6% | $82,860 | $19,000 | 44.8% | |
| 80 | Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA · Private Nonprofit | $36,425 | 84.9% | $76,124 | $19,000 | 28.2% | |
| 81 | Dickinson College Carlisle, PA · Private Nonprofit | $37,607 | 81.6% | $70,204 | $19,000 | 42.1% | |
| 82 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public | $20,995 | 74.3% | $70,814 | $19,000 | 74.2% | |
| 83 | Colby College Waterville, ME · Private Nonprofit | $17,180 | 89.5% | $80,490 | $19,157 | 7.1% | |
| 84 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA · Private Nonprofit | $50,062 | 88.2% | $109,183 | $19,162 | 48.0% | |
| 85 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA · Private Nonprofit | $23,781 | 94.4% | $94,810 | $19,500 | 14.0% | |
| 86 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public | $13,138 | 93.2% | $83,648 | $19,500 | 15.6% | |
| 87 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public | $16,778 | 85.0% | $69,020 | $19,500 | 79.8% | |
| 88 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public | $14,355 | 85.0% | $81,054 | $19,500 | 42.4% | |
| 89 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX · Private Nonprofit | $40,892 | 83.8% | $78,354 | $19,500 | 63.3% | |
| 90 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public | $14,600 | 83.1% | $72,424 | $19,500 | 49.9% | |
| 91 | Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY · Private Nonprofit | $32,297 | 82.1% | $69,363 | $19,500 | 21.1% | |
| 92 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA · Private Nonprofit | $48,381 | 79.3% | $78,349 | $19,500 | 45.1% | |
| 93 | Samford University Birmingham, AL · Private Nonprofit | $32,622 | 78.4% | $58,469 | $19,500 | 82.4% | |
| 94 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO · Public | $25,346 | 74.6% | $69,738 | $19,500 | 78.1% | |
| 95 | Lewis & Clark College Portland, OR · Private Nonprofit | $36,013 | 73.4% | $62,205 | $19,500 | 78.5% | |
| 96 | SUNY College at Geneseo Geneseo, NY · Public | $18,211 | 71.8% | $67,316 | $19,500 | 66.5% | |
| 97 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC · Public | $20,109 | 70.7% | $54,967 | $19,500 | 64.2% | |
| 98 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN · Private Nonprofit | $24,739 | 70.5% | $55,541 | $19,500 | 67.7% | |
| 99 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public | $16,467 | 70.3% | $69,960 | $19,500 | 72.4% | |
| 100 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN · Public | $16,264 | 80.7% | $63,742 | $19,509 | 78.2% |
¹ School-wide median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment, not after graduation. ² Median federal debt among completers. Net price is an annual average after grants and scholarships for the reported cohort, not a personal price quote. N/A means unavailable. Source cohorts and reporting years differ by measure.
Does low reported debt mean a school is affordable for everyone?
No. Low federal debt can reflect grants, family resources, or borrowing outside the reported measure. Review annual net price and a personal aid estimate alongside debt and completion.
The edition year identifies this comparison, not the measurement year of every outcome. Earnings, costs, admissions, and completion can refer to different cohorts. These are institution-wide results, not outcomes for a specific major.
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