25 Colleges With Highest Graduating Student Debt

Business Insider identified the top 25 U.S. universities by median federal debt upon graduation using Department of Education data, noting that tuition prices have soared while skepticism about degree value has grown. Fifteen institutions on this list charge at least $100,000 in sticker price alone. A significant trend emerged: more than half (56%) of these schools are historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). According to the United Negro College Fund, HBCU students borrow at higher rates due to greater unmet financial need, a factor linked by experts like Marybeth Gasman to lower institutional endowments and smaller operating budgets compared to predominantly white institutions. While 19.28 million U.S. college students were enrolled in 2024, many rely on loans because tuition is expensive; however, the Department of Education does not track private or Parent PLUS loans in this ranking.