Schools Ranked by Default Rate

Default rates measure the percentage of students who fail to repay their federal student loans. A lower default rate indicates that students are finding an adequate means of income after leaving the school because they can afford to pay back their student loans. In addition, lower default rates also indicate a lower amount of student debt. For each school, we looked at the cohort default rates published by the College Navigator database for the 2009 fiscal year.

College Navigator did not have the default rate for all of the colleges on our list. We did not, however, want to penalize those colleges without data. To that end, we simply excluded those schools from the rankings in this category.

Rank School FT to PT
Faculty Ratio		 Institution
Fin. Aid Rate		 Acceptance Rate Retention Rate Graduation Rate Accred.
Years		 Default
Rate		 Job Place. Rate  
99 Montana State University 2.23 to 1 51% 61% 74% 51% 80 3% N/A  
99 University of California-Los Angeles 3.81 to 1 58% 26% 97% 90% 63 3% N/A  
99 Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration 0.11 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 37 3% N/A  
104 Brandman University- Part of the Chapman University System 0.13 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 56 4% N/A  
104 Huntington University 0.74 to 1 98% 88% 80% 62% 51 4% N/A  
104 Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health 4.00 to 1 79% 34% 92% 78% 23 4% N/A  
104 Northeastern University 0.91 to 1 80% 35% 95% 77% 72 4% N/A  
104 Nova Southeastern University 0.98 to 1 86% 58% 70% 43% 41 4% N/A  
104 Saint Joseph's University 0.69 to 1 93% 78% 89% 76% 90 4% N/A  
104 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh 1.90 to 1 7% 84% 74% 50% 97 4% N/A  
104 University of Wisconsin-Stout 2.35 to 1 11% 89% 71% 53% 84 4% N/A  
112 Bob Jones University 3.71 to 1 53% N/A 78% 62% 6 4% N/A  
112 North Dakota State University-Main Campus 59.60 to 1 41% 86% 76% 54% 97 4% N/A  
112 University of Colorado Boulder 2.42 to 1 37% 87% 84% 68% 99 4% N/A  
112 University of North Dakota 10.18 to 1 48% 70% 77% 54% 99 4% N/A  
112 Valparaiso University 2.18 to 1 98% 74% 81% 71% 83 4% N/A  
117 Marymount University 0.61 to 1 89% 78% 70% 48% 54 4% N/A  
117 Plymouth State University 0.83 to 1 57% 74% 74% 59% 57 4% N/A  
117 Sacred Heart University 0.57 to 1 89% 64% 75% 68% 43 4% N/A  
117 University of Nebraska-Lincoln 3.87 to 1 57% 59% 84% 67% 99 4% N/A  
121 University of Mary 0.48 to 1 98% 75% 72% 52% 43 4% N/A  
121 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 3.86 to 1 6% 79% 80% 61% 96 4% N/A  
123 Stevens Institute of Technology 1.65 to 1 95% 42% 93% 79% 85 4% N/A  
123 Suffolk University 0.98 to 1 74% 79% 75% 55% 60 4% N/A  
123 SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica-Rome 0.72 to 1 43% 38% 71% 47% 33 4% N/A  
123 Tennessee Technological University 1.48 to 1 27% 97% 73% 50% 73 4% N/A  
123 University of Missouri-Columbia 2.36 to 1 59% 81% 85% 69% 99 4% N/A  
123 University of North Carolina at Greensboro 3.82 to 1 48% 65% 76% 53% 91 4% N/A  
123 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus 5.88 to 1 32% 58% 90% 79% 91 4% N/A  
130 Augustana College 2.50 to 1 100% 80% 83% 65% 81 4% N/A  
130 Harding University 2.45 to 1 96% 72% 81% 63% 58 4% N/A  
130 Iowa State University 5.89 to 1 72% 81% 88% 68% 96 4% N/A  
130 Mount Carmel College of Nursing 1.29 to 1 42% 75% 86% 66% 18 4% N/A  
130 Olivet Nazarene University 0.62 to 1 99% 80% 73% 58% 56 4% N/A  
130 Robert Morris University 0.90 to 1 98% 79% 81% 59% 44 4% N/A  
136 Fitchburg State University 0.79 to 1 49% 68% 73% 47% 59 4% N/A  
136 Saint Louis University-Main Campus 2.13 to 1 85% 62% 85% 61% 96 4% N/A  
136 University at Buffalo 2.22 to 1 36% 51% 88% 71% 91 4% N/A  
136 University of Denver 1.04 to 1 83% 68% 89% 78% 98 4% N/A  
136 University of Massachusetts Amherst 4.74 to 1 57% 66% 89% 67% 80 4% N/A  
141 Georgetown College 2.58 to 1 100% 88% 71% 59% 93 4% N/A  
141 Grace College and Theological Seminary 1.36 to 1 100% 95% 79% 56% 36 4% N/A  
141 Lesley University 3.63 to 1 94% 66% 76% 49% 60 4% N/A  
141 Oregon State University 3.30 to 1 56% 81% 81% 61% 88 4% N/A  
141 Salve Regina University 0.93 to 1 92% 70% 80% 73% 56 4% N/A  
141 University of Illinois at Chicago 1.64 to 1 59% 63% 79% 54% 42 4% N/A  
141 University of Northern Iowa 3.32 to 1 59% 77% 82% 67% 99 4% N/A  
141 Utah State University 33.35 to 1 29% 97% 72% 53% 88 4% N/A  
141 Walden University 0.06 to 1 6% N/A 28% N/A 22 4% N/A  
141 West Chester University of Pennsylvania 2.21 to 1 12% 47% 86% 68% 66 4% N/A  
151 Gannon University 1.23 to 1 99% 85% 79% 67% 61 4% N/A  
151 Lander University 1.51 to 1 37% 46% 64% 37% 60 4% N/A  
151 Michigan State University 6.69 to 1 39% 73% 91% 77% 97 4% 96%  
151 University of Kentucky 5.27 to 1 45% 69% 82% 59% 97 4% N/A  
155 Central Michigan University 1.92 to 1 64% 68% 76% 54% 97 4% 35%  
155 DePaul University 1.00 to 1 88% 64% 86% 66% 87 4% 81%  
155 Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences 0.32 to 1 8% 96% 93% 28% 16 4% N/A  
155 Norwich University 0.92 to 1 98% 66% 77% 55% 79 4% N/A  
155 SUNY College at Plattsburgh 1.31 to 1 44% 48% 81% 59% 60 4% N/A  
155 University of San Francisco 0.73 to 1 67% 58% 84% 70% 63 4% N/A  
161 Ashland University-Ohio 0.90 to 1 96% 72% 72% 61% 74 5% 100%  
161 Concordia University 0.33 to 1 97% 76% 72% 51% 31 5% N/A  
161 Kansas State University 6.01 to 1 64% 99% 82% 56% 96 5% N/A  
161 Misericordia University 0.53 to 1 99% 57% 86% 64% 77 5% N/A  
161 University of North Carolina-Wilmington 2.69 to 1 37% 57% 86% 67% 60 5% N/A  
161 University of Wisconsin-Platteville 3.69 to 1 28% 96% 74% 52% 94 5% N/A  
161 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4.48 to 1 11% 82% 77% 54% 97 5% N/A  
168 Adelphi University 0.48 to 1 90% 69% 81% 66% 91 5% 50%  
168 Central Washington University 2.64 to 1 59% 78% 78% 56% 94 5% 100%  
168 Illinois Institute of Technology 1.43 to 1 100% 64% 89% 64% 76 5% N/A  
168 Old Dominion University 1.53 to 1 24% 75% 80% 50% 51 5% N/A  
168 Pinnacle Career Institute-Lawrence 0.13 to 1 8% N/A 69% 71% 23 5% N/A  
168 Regent University 13.46 to 1 80% 82% 76% 33% 28 5% N/A  
168 South Dakota State University 2.44 to 1 50% 92% 73% 59% 96 5% N/A  
175 Taylor University 1.22 to 1 91% 84% 85% 80% 65 5% N/A  
175 University of New Haven 0.58 to 1 97% 64% 75% 52% 46 5% N/A  
175 Westfield State University 0.87 to 1 26% 61% 80% 58% 55 5% N/A  
178 Arcadia University 0.58 to 1 99% 54% 76% 62% 66 5% N/A  
178 CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice 0.56 to 1 0% 47% 78% 30% 47 5% N/A  
178 Eastern Illinois University 4.22 to 1 22% 68% 79% 59% 97 5% N/A  
178 Hamline University 1.01 to 1 96% 71% 80% 68% 98 5% N/A  
178 Pace University-New York 0.53 to 1 98% 79% 78% 53% 55 5% N/A  
183 Dickinson State University 0.70 to 1 61% 66% N/A N/A 84 5% N/A  
183 University of Wyoming 10.95 to 1 26% 95% 74% 53% 97 5% N/A  
183 Vanguard University of Southern California 0.45 to 1 95% 74% 75% 55% 48 5% N/A  
186 Seton Hall University 0.94 to 1 91% 85% 81% 66% 80 5% N/A  
186 Texas A & M University 22.71 to 1 52% 63% 92% 81% 88 5% N/A  
186 University of La Verne 0.51 to 1 95% 59% 86% 58% 57 5% N/A  
186 University of Massachusetts-Lowell 0.93 to 1 60% 64% 79% 50% 37 5% N/A  
190 Clarkson College 4.25 to 1 73% 32% 79% 59% 28 5% N/A  
190 Lakeland College 0.16 to 1 100% 82% 70% 42% 51 5% N/A  
190 Lindenwood University 0.43 to 1 94% 53% 70% 45% 94 5% N/A  
190 University of Idaho 4.49 to 1 38% 61% 80% 51% 94 5% N/A  
194 Florida State University 2.54 to 1 36% 58% 92% 74% 97 5% N/A  
194 Marylhurst University 0.26 to 1 67% 70% 67% N/A 35 5% N/A  
194 Mount Vernon Nazarene University 0.76 to 1 99% 72% 70% 57% 40 5% N/A  
194 The College of Saint Scholastica 0.95 to 1 97% 81% 77% 63% 81 5% N/A  
194 Toccoa Falls College 1.74 to 1 97% 50% 67% 50% 55 5% N/A  
194 University of Colorado Denver 5.44 to 1 42% 60% 76% 40% 42 5% N/A  
194 Western Michigan University 1.61 to 1 60% 83% 74% 56% 97 5% N/A  

Methodology

For each college, we gathered data for nine different metrics: the number of full-time faculty per part-time faculty member; institutional financial aid, acceptance, retention, graduation, job placement, and default rates; years accredited; and undergraduate tuition. Learn more