Colleges where graduates have the most student debt

Nirat.pix // Shutterstock 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, compiled by the DOE, include tuition, housing, materials, and fees, minus the average grants and scholarships awarded. They 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. You may also like: Most liberal colleges in America #35. Dillard University, Louisiana (tie) Infrogmation of New Orleans // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $31,250 – Average annual cost: $19,105 #35. Methodist College, Illinois (tie) Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $31,250 – Average annual cost: $25,714 #34. Amridge University, Alabama Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $31,417 – Average annual cost: $17,618 #33. Morris College, South Carolina Mark Makela // Getty Images – Median student debt at graduation: $31,450 – Average annual cost: $16,397 #32. Shaw University, North Carolina Wileydoc // Shutterstock – Median student debt at graduation: $31,500 – Average annual cost: $23,809 You may also like: States where high schoolers are least likely to graduate #31. Ashford University, California Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $31,802 – Average annual cost: $20,987 #30. Tougaloo College, Mississippi 2C2K Photography // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $32,100 – Average annual cost: $13,382 #29. University of Phoenix-Arizona, Arizona Eric Glenn // Shutterstock – Median student debt at graduation: $32,421 – Average annual cost: $52,572 #28. Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Manassas, Virginia Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $32,500 – Average annual cost: $24,161 #27. American InterContinental University-Atlanta, Georgia Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $32,501 – Average annual cost: $44,466 You may also like: States spending the most and least per student on education #26. Livingstone College, North Carolina Ncpappy // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $32,875 – Average annual cost: $17,593 #25. Laurus College, California Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $32,937 – Average annual cost: $11,683 #24. Newschool of Architecture and Design, California Archipedia // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $32,985 – Average annual cost: $37,654 #23. Miles College, Alabama Robert P. Collins // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $33,000 – Average annual cost: $14,912 #22. Peirce College, Pennsylvania Creative Commons // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $33,014 – Average annual cost: $8,382 You may also like: Best private high school in every state #21. Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses, California Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $33,167 – Average annual cost: $12,075 #20. Lane College, Tennessee JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ M.D. // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $33,177 – Average annual cost: $14,109 #19. West Coast University-Miami, Florida JHVEPhoto // Shutterstock – Median student debt at graduation: $33,319 – Average annual cost: $173,224 #18. Stratford University, Virginia Ser Amantio di Nicolao // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $33,374 – Average annual cost: $24,789 #17. Southern California Institute of Architecture, California Lee A Wong // Shutterstock – Median student debt at graduation: $33,750 – Average annual cost: $49,091 You may also like: 2-year degrees that go on to earn the least money #16. Benedict College, South Carolina Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $34,500 – Average annual cost: $12,678 #15. Allen University, South Carolina Abductive // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $35,000 – Average annual cost: $13,963 #14. Nazarene Bible College, Colorado Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $36,253 – Average annual cost: $50,944 #13. Grambling State University, Louisiana Clotee Pridgen Alloc… // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $36,750 – Average annual cost: $16,964 #12. Provo College, Utah Ben P L // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $37,000 – Average annual cost: $18,427 You may also like: Biggest HBCUs in America #11. American University of Health Sciences, California Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $37,584 – Average annual cost: $22,951 #10. Boston Architectural College, Massachusetts Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $38,739 – Average annual cost: $28,343 #9. Strayer University-District of Columbia, Washington D.C. DCStockPhotography // Shutterstock – Median student debt at graduation: $40,023 – Average annual cost: $256,174 #8. Everglades University-Orlando, Florida Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $40,625 – Average annual cost: $30,535 #7. Martin University, Indiana MartinCommunicationsDept // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $41,604 – Average annual cost: $14,764 You may also like: 35 CEOs who never finished college #6. Eagle Gate College-Layton, Utah Foto EAK // Shutterstock – Median student debt at graduation: $41,639 – Average annual cost: $37,159 #5. Platt College-Aurora, Colorado Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $41,667 – Average annual cost: $41,735 #4. American Baptist College, Tennessee Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons – Median student debt at graduation: $43,000 – Average annual cost: $20,631 #3. Huntsville Bible College, Alabama Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $43,625 – Average annual cost: $19,528 #2. Design Institute of San Diego, California Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $45,000 – Average annual cost: $40,842 You may also like: Most expensive colleges–and what students actually pay #1. The North Coast College, Ohio Canva – Median student debt at graduation: $48,148 – Average annual cost: $20,553