The 10 Schools With The Least 2010 Graduate Debt

Want to graduate college without crushing amounts of debt? Is that even a question?

US News and World Report recently named the 10 schools with the least 2010 graduate debt. Alice Lloyd College topped the list, with Ivy League Princeton coming in second.

The Report has more:

Princeton University and College of the Ozarks in Missouri also limit student debt through unique initiatives, and are the only two institutions that appear in the top 10 lists of both smallest percent of 2010 graduates owing money and the lowest average indebtedness per student. In 2001, Princeton began replacing students' loan packages with scholarships that do not need to be repaid. And at College of the Ozarks, where 90 percent of each incoming class shows financial need, the school sets up those students with campus jobs to cover tuition.

For comparison's sake, the average 2010 grad has approximately $25,000 dollars worth of student loan debt.

Check out our slideshow of the 10 colleges with the least average debt per 2010 grad. Then tell us, do you think these schools set a good example? How much debt are you in? Weigh in below!

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Comments

[inkhosi]

11:16 AM on 02/06/2012

West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy: $0

[ricchh]

10:49 AM on 01/06/2012

i have never heard of any of these schools. Princeton only accepts rich kids.

[finallygavein]

11:58 AM on 01/13/2012

that's actually not true. this is an old stereotype. over the past decade, the proportion of princeton students coming from low income households has been greater then most of its peers. the reason we gradaute with so little debt is because of grant-based aid. low income students have zero loans to pay back. it's a great policy and attracts the best, hardest working students.

[ricchh]

09:04 AM on 01/16/2012

You're joking, right. Princeton has one of the highest income levels, private school rates, and legacy rates in the nation. Almost 60% of Princeton students attended private high school (one of the highest rates in the nation,) and almost one third of the class are legacies, second only to Harvard.

[hopein2012]

02:54 AM on 01/27/2012

that is correct. most of the ivies and private top liberal arts schools do.

[Mondayboy]

03:09 PM on 01/04/2012

No mention of DeVry?

[american-dolt]

03:12 PM on 01/03/2012

Princeton=Silver Spoon Deluxe.

[finallygavein]

04:41 PM on 01/03/2012

That's not really a fair assessment. You are repeating old stereotypes about a University that has changed significantly over the past two decades in its demographics. The article rightly points to the no-loan scholarship policy as a primary reason for students' ridiculously low average debt. It's easy to be lazy and say "Oh, that's because mommy and daddy are paying", but that's just not the case here. Princeton is pretty progressive in seeking out and enrolling students from a variety of economic backgrounds. In the interest of full disclosure, I am an '06 graduate and benefited from the no-loan policy that was pioneered at Princeton before it spread to its peer institutions.

[american-dolt]

04:48 PM on 01/03/2012

No-Loan Policy? How does that work?

[Leonard Thomas]

07:05 PM on 01/07/2012

Princeton admits a lot of low-income students and fully funds them. The same is true across the Ivy League and at other institutions with large endowments and great financial aid policies. The middle class may be suffering the most but the poor and wealthy are doing relatively well as it relates to affording education. Through grants, scholarships, and financial aid college is made affordable for those who aren't fed with a silver spoon.

[j-tho]

01:55 PM on 01/03/2012

does it count as a college if no one has ever heard of it?

[easyrider1969]

02:22 PM on 01/03/2012

I've heard of...Princeton. I believe it's in New Jersey.

[h jablome]

02:28 PM on 01/03/2012

does it count if someone is stupid?

[iHELP Loans]

12:46 PM on 01/03/2012

Always good to see a discussion that focuses on college costs and debt. Can't ignore these.

[paid trawler]

10:52 AM on 01/03/2012

i get so tired of people prom0ting their 0wn blogs on here.

[Seamus1975]

03:56 PM on 01/03/2012

Well, what's good for AH is good for the gander. If she never misses an opportunity for self-promotion, why should the rest of us?

[BrendaNYC]

10:08 AM on 01/03/2012

This is the kind of useful information that helps consumers make good decisions. It's time to strip the romance and mystery away from higher education and treat it like the high stakes commodity it is. I natter more here: http://heresheisboys.com/2011/10/26/educated-consumers/

[Salanry]

02:50 PM on 01/03/2012

Treating education as a commodity is problematic and reflects a mindset that helped create the current issue.

[LaurieAnn]

03:09 PM on 01/03/2012

Right-on!  Higher education should not be looked up by society or by individuals as merely a vocational school or job training program.  An education can be partially for those things but is really about personal growth, learning a breadth and depth of information about the world around you and about becoming a person who can be at ease in more places in the world.