Cost
These colleges have the lowest median federal loan debt among students who borrowed and finished. 347 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify for this list, and colleges with a missing value for the fields used here are left out rather than guessed. The table below shows the top 20, led by Berea College (Kentucky).
Across all 347 qualifying colleges the median debt runs from $3,516 (Berea College) to $27,000 (Providence College), with a median of $15,396. For comparison, the median across the 347 colleges in the full dataset that report it is $15,396.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26). Data fetched 2026-10-14. Open any row for the full college profile.
Of the 347 qualifying colleges, 168 are public and 179 are private nonprofit. Within the table, Puerto Rico appears 12 times, New York appears 3 times. The median net price among the 20 listed colleges that report it is $9,224, against $19,857 for the whole dataset. The median graduation rate among the 20 listed colleges that report it is 46.7%, against 73.1% for the whole dataset. 10 of the 20 listed colleges report an SAT range, and the midpoints of those ranges have a median near 1230.
The figure is the median federal loan debt of students who completed, from pooled cohorts in the Scorecard. It counts federal loans only.
Each column in the table means the following.
Median debt excludes students who didn't borrow and students who left without a degree, and says nothing about private loans or parent loans.
To see how your own score compares, read what a 1230 SAT or a 28 ACT means for a college list, then check college costs by state for price context.
Berea College is first on this list, with median debt of $3,516. It leads 347 qualifying colleges in the dataset, so check what the number measures before treating it as a recommendation.
347 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify, and the table shows the top 20. Colleges with a missing value are excluded.
No. The list sorts on one number. It does not measure teaching, fit, program strength or what you would pay, so use it to find colleges to look at and then check each profile and the college's own website.
Colleges are drawn from the 354-college dataset built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14). Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Reporting periods for the fields on this page: AcadYr 2021-22; Fall 2016 or AcadYr 2016-17 entry cohort, as applicable; Fall 2022; NSLDS FY2020/FY2021 pooled cohorts. Full definitions are on the methodology page, and the numbers are available as an open download.
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