10 Best College Values With the Lowest Graduating Debt

The cost of a college education continues to rise – and so does the amount that students are borrowing to cover those costs.

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The cost of a college education continues to rise – and so does the amount that students are borrowing to cover those costs. In 2014-15, the average sticker price (including tuition, fees, and room and board) at a four-year private nonprofit college or university rose 3.6%, to $42,419, according to the College Board. The annual published price for out-of-state students at four-year public institutions rose 3.3% to $32,762. Meanwhile, the average published price for for in-state students at a public four-year school rose 3.0% to $18,943. Student borrowing crept up as well. Student borrowers at private colleges and universities racked up an average of $31,200 in debt, while students at four-year public institutions averaged $25,600 per borrower.

There are schools where debt per borrower is unusually low, however. These 10 colleges offer academic quality and enough financial support to get students to graduation day with a manageable amount of student debt. At six of the schools on our list, students who borrow earn their diploma with an average of $13,000 or less in debt. And at three of the schools, student borrowers graduate with an average debt of less than $10,000. Take a look:

Disclaimer

Kiplinger's combined rank includes both public and private colleges.

Kaitlin Pitsker
Associate Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Pitsker joined Kiplinger in the summer of 2012. Previously, she interned at the Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse, N.Y., and with Chronogram magazine in Kingston, N.Y. She holds a BS in magazine journalism from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.