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Colleges where graduates have the most student debt

In August 2022, President Biden announced his plan for student loan forgiveness, garnering elation from many borrowers and criticism from those who felt the measure did not go far enough to alleviate the financial burden. However, the plan’s rollout did not go smoothly. As millions of borrowers’ applications flooded in—and the student loan debt crisis surpassed $1.74 trillion—student loan forgiveness is projected to hit a snag—or several.

Several court cases have continued to stall forgiveness efforts, tying up the execution of debt cancellation in legal purgatory. The sheer volume of applications has also created a backlog of roughly 2 million candidates, resulting in wait times exceeding three months. Further delaying the loan forgiveness process for many applicants are ongoing proceedings in a $6 billion settlement against a group of colleges, many of which are private for-profit institutions accused of defrauding students and other misconduct. Several colleges named in the settlement have appealed the decision.

As college enrollment continues to decline due to various factors—lack of affordability, fear of taking on debt, and doubts about the value of a degree, among others—making an informed decision about which college to attend has taken on an even greater sense of urgency. Stacker ranked the 35 colleges with the highest median debt after graduation, using Department of Education data on more than 5,200 U.S. colleges for the 2020-21 school year. 

This analysis only includes loans accumulated while at the school awarding the graduation credentials—it doesn’t include private loans, parent loans, or loans originated at other schools for transfer students. Average annual costs include tuition, housing, materials, and fees, minus the average grants and scholarships awarded. Where cost information was unavailable from the DOE’s College Scorecard, costs were retrieved from the schools’ respective websites. Annual costs are listed, along with estimated enrollment, but don’t factor into the ranking.

Many schools on the list are private for-profit schools, which have long been embroiled in accusations of predatory lending behavior. Religious schools and art and design institutions are also frequent additions. Only one school on the list is a public university.

Read on to find out where college graduates accrue the most student debt.

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#35. Dillard University, Louisiana (tie)

– Median student debt at graduation: $31,250

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#35. Methodist College, Illinois (tie)

– Median student debt at graduation: $31,250

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#34. Amridge University, Alabama

– Median student debt at graduation: $31,417

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#33. Morris College, South Carolina

– Median student debt at graduation: $31,450

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#32. Shaw University, North Carolina

– Median student debt at graduation: $31,500

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#31. Ashford University, California

– Median student debt at graduation: $31,802

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#30. Tougaloo College, Mississippi

– Median student debt at graduation: $32,100
 

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#29. University of Phoenix-Arizona, Arizona

– Median student debt at graduation: $32,421

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#28. Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Manassas, Virginia

– Median student debt at graduation: $32,500

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#27. American InterContinental University-Atlanta, Georgia

– Median student debt at graduation: $32,501

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#26. Livingstone College, North Carolina

– Median student debt at graduation: $32,875

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#25. Laurus College, California

– Median student debt at graduation: $32,937

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#24. Newschool of Architecture and Design, California

– Median student debt at graduation: $32,985

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#23. Miles College, Alabama

– Median student debt at graduation: $33,000

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#22. Peirce College, Pennsylvania

– Median student debt at graduation: $33,014

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#21. Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses, California

– Median student debt at graduation: $33,167

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#20. Lane College, Tennessee

– Median student debt at graduation: $33,177

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#19. West Coast University-Miami, Florida

– Median student debt at graduation: $33,319

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#18. Stratford University, Virginia

– Median student debt at graduation: $33,374

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#17. Southern California Institute of Architecture, California

– Median student debt at graduation: $33,750

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#16. Benedict College, South Carolina

– Median student debt at graduation: $34,500

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#15. Allen University, South Carolina

– Median student debt at graduation: $35,000

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#14. Nazarene Bible College, Colorado

– Median student debt at graduation: $36,253

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#13. Grambling State University, Louisiana

– Median student debt at graduation: $36,750

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#12. Provo College, Utah

– Median student debt at graduation: $37,000

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#11. American University of Health Sciences, California

– Median student debt at graduation: $37,584

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#10. Boston Architectural College, Massachusetts

– Median student debt at graduation: $38,739

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#9. Strayer University-District of Columbia, Washington D.C.

– Median student debt at graduation: $40,023

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#8. Everglades University-Orlando, Florida

– Median student debt at graduation: $40,625

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#7. Martin University, Indiana

– Median student debt at graduation: $41,604

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#6. Eagle Gate College-Layton, Utah

– Median student debt at graduation: $41,639

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#5. Platt College-Aurora, Colorado

– Median student debt at graduation: $41,667

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#4. American Baptist College, Tennessee

– Median student debt at graduation: $43,000

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#3. Huntsville Bible College, Alabama

– Median student debt at graduation: $43,625

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#2. Design Institute of San Diego, California

– Median student debt at graduation: $45,000

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#1. The North Coast College, Ohio

– Median student debt at graduation: $48,148