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  
299 Missouri State University 2.11 to 1 42% 83% 75% 55% 97 7% N/A  
299 National Louis University 0.57 to 1 90% 86% 57% 26% 8 7% N/A  
299 Southern New Hampshire University 0.19 to 1 89% 84% 72% 57% 39 7% N/A  
304 Daniel Webster College 0.21 to 1 1% 66% 63% 43% 40 7% N/A  
304 Florida Gulf Coast University 1.70 to 1 16% 68% 75% 45% 13 7% N/A  
304 Metropolitan State University 0.25 to 1 0% 97% 64% 29% 0 7% N/A  
304 National University 0.09 to 1 2% N/A 85% 38% 11 7% N/A  
304 Pfeiffer University 1.24 to 1 87% 59% 69% 45% 70 7% N/A  
304 Portland State University 0.94 to 1 32% 69% 73% 38% 56 7% N/A  
304 University of Arkansas 10.63 to 1 36% 61% 83% 59% 88 7% N/A  
304 University of Central Missouri 2.08 to 1 60% 80% 73% 50% 97 7% N/A  
304 University of Maine 2.46 to 1 67% 78% 78% 60% 83 7% N/A  
304 University of South Carolina-Upstate 1.07 to 1 42% 59% 67% 39% 36 7% N/A  
314 Dowling College 0.25 to 1 92% 82% 65% 39% 41 7% N/A  
314 Framingham State University 1.44 to 1 38% 66% 74% 52% 62 7% N/A  
314 Hutchinson Community College 0.45 to 1 59% N/A 63% 30% 52 7% N/A  
314 Liberty University 2.25 to 1 80% N/A 73% 48% 32 7% N/A  
314 Mississippi College 0.73 to 1 98% 44% 75% 51% 90 7% N/A  
314 Spring Hill College 1.95 to 1 99% 49% 76% 61% 90 7% N/A  
314 Wilmington University 0.10 to 1 5% N/A 58% 37% 37 7% N/A  
321 Anna Maria College 0.33 to 1 99% 60% 61% 49% 1 7% N/A  
321 Howard University 3.81 to 1 53% 54% 83% 63% 91 7% N/A  
321 Mississippi State University 7.52 to 1 66% 63% 83% 60% 86 7% N/A  
321 Missouri Baptist University 0.35 to 1 97% 58% 66% 28% 34 7% N/A  
321 Northern Michigan University 1.69 to 1 67% 72% 73% 47% 96 7% N/A  
321 Northwest Missouri State University 4.08 to 1 90% 70% 69% 50% 91 7% N/A  
321 Tiffin University 0.21 to 1 68% 51% 69% 47% 27 7% N/A  
321 University of Houston-Clear Lake 1.12 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 36 7% N/A  
329 Bryan College 0.77 to 1 94% 57% 69% 56% 43 7% N/A  
329 California University of Pennsylvania 2.03 to 1 4% 60% 73% 49% 61 7% 100%  
329 Capitol College 0.20 to 1 82% 56% 74% 37% 36 7% N/A  
329 Fort Hays State University 6.93 to 1 84% 68% 63% 42% 97 7% N/A  
329 Lewis University 0.53 to 1 99% 62% 77% 62% 49 7% N/A  
329 The University of West Florida 1.25 to 1 24% 66% 73% 48% 43 7% N/A  
335 Clarion University of Pennsylvania 2.63 to 1 7% 79% 70% 49% 64 7% 95%  
335 Georgia Southern University 7.15 to 1 11% 56% 80% 47% 77 7% N/A  
335 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus 6.11 to 1 14% 60% 74% 52% 71 7% N/A  
335 Northern Arizona University 1.37 to 1 64% 65% 73% 52% 82 7% N/A  
335 Northern Illinois University 3.47 to 1 36% 53% 71% 56% 97 7% N/A  
335 Rider University 0.73 to 1 96% 73% 82% 63% 57 7% N/A  
335 Savannah College of Art and Design 4.81 to 1 91% 49% 82% 64% 7 7% N/A  
335 University of New Mexico-Valencia County Branch 0.35 to 1 12% N/A 60% 8% 34 7% N/A  
343 Brenau University 0.65 to 1 96% 34% 69% 44% 65 8% N/A  
343 Emporia State University 12.10 to 1 64% 82% 69% 43% 97 8% N/A  
343 Texas Tech University 5.85 to 1 33% 66% 82% 61% 84 8% N/A  
343 The University of Texas at Dallas 2.96 to 1 73% 53% 83% 61% 40 8% N/A  
343 University of Central Florida 1.82 to 1 36% 45% 87% 63% 42 8% N/A  
343 University of Nebraska at Omaha 1.02 to 1 41% 76% 73% 43% 73 8% N/A  
349 Anderson University 0.56 to 1 100% 73% 72% 48% 53 8% N/A  
349 Cardinal Stritch University 0.32 to 1 64% 48% 71% 46% 59 8% N/A  
349 Florida Atlantic University 1.51 to 1 31% 35% 79% 43% 45 8% N/A  
349 Queens University of Charlotte 0.80 to 1 93% 74% 70% 60% 80 8% N/A  
349 SUNY College at Oswego 1.26 to 1 39% 48% 79% 57% 62 8% N/A  
349 University of Northern Colorado 2.58 to 1 74% 73% 70% 46% 96 8% N/A  
349 West Virginia University 2.92 to 1 56% 87% 78% 57% 86 8% N/A  
356 Crown College 0.29 to 1 98% 78% 63% 53% 62 8% N/A  
356 University of Louisville 2.50 to 1 55% 75% 78% 51% 97 8% N/A  
358 Boise State University 1.23 to 1 25% 85% 69% 31% 71 8% 95%  
358 Central Christian College of Kansas 1.19 to 1 100% N/A 62% 54% 37 8% N/A  
358 Frostburg State University 2.02 to 1 39% 55% 71% 45% 59 8% N/A  
358 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 0.90 to 1 42% 67% 71% 41% 42 8% N/A  
362 Mercy College 0.31 to 1 83% 60% 68% 29% 44 8% N/A  
363 Franklin Pierce University 0.47 to 1 84% 93% 62% 49% 44 8% N/A  
363 Humboldt State University 1.10 to 1 40% 83% 74% 40% 63 8% N/A  
363 Murray State University 2.67 to 1 66% 81% 72% 53% 84 8% N/A  
363 Ohio Dominican University 0.76 to 1 100% 61% 57% 48% 78 8% N/A  
363 Saybrook University 0.28 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 28 8% N/A  
363 The University of Tennessee 4.33 to 1 67% 70% 84% 63% 12 8% N/A  
363 University of South Alabama 2.27 to 1 53% 87% 65% 38% 44 8% N/A  
363 Western Governors University 1.75 to 1 1% N/A 81% 18% 11 8% N/A  
363 Wright State University-Main Campus 1.96 to 1 53% N/A 62% 41% 44 8% N/A  
372 Briar Cliff University 1.97 to 1 99% N/A 69% 45% 67 8% N/A  
372 California Baptist University 1.08 to 1 50% 74% 77% 55% 51 8% N/A  
372 Southern Illinois University Carbondale 5.24 to 1 28% 44% 66% 45% 99 8% N/A  
372 Texas Woman's University 1.09 to 1 34% 88% 68% 39% 89 8% N/A  
376 Dallas Baptist University 29.50 to 1 88% 44% 74% 56% 53 8% N/A  
376 Jones International University 0.09 to 1 0% N/A 15% 67% 13 8% N/A  
376 Lake Region State College 3.10 to 1 54% N/A 54% 52% 38 8% N/A  
376 Mansfield University of Pennsylvania 2.93 to 1 19% 77% 72% 53% 70 8% N/A  
376 Miami University-Middletown 0.58 to 1 15% N/A 49% 23% 46 8% N/A  
376 Moraine Park Technical College 0.93 to 1 8% N/A 63% 40% 37 8% N/A  
376 Notre Dame College 0.37 to 1 100% 89% 67% 47% 1 8% N/A  
376 Roberts Wesleyan College 7.92 to 1 97% 51% 73% 65% 49 8% N/A  
376 Valdosta State University 3.85 to 1 4% 58% 67% 43% 83 8% N/A  
376 Webster University 0.14 to 1 85% 72% 80% 61% 87 8% N/A  
386 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania 4.54 to 1 14% 75% 73% 51% 63 8% N/A  
386 Lynn University 1.33 to 1 77% N/A 60% 42% 45 8% N/A  
386 Oklahoma Baptist University 1.83 to 1 88% 66% 77% 51% 60 8% N/A  
386 Schiller International University 0.36 to 1 0% N/A 17% 40% 29 8% N/A  
386 Southern Nazarene University 0.44 to 1 97% N/A 62% 44% 56 8% N/A  
386 University of West Georgia 3.20 to 1 5% 55% 74% 39% 76 8% N/A  
392 Dakota College at Bottineau 0.47 to 1 36% N/A 41% 37% 41 8% N/A  
392 Newman University 0.53 to 1 99% 43% 70% 28% 45 8% N/A  
392 University of Great Falls 0.52 to 1 91% N/A 55% 28% 77 8% N/A  
392 William Carey University 0.95 to 1 72% 83% 77% 51% 54 8% N/A  
396 California State University-Northridge 0.87 to 1 51% 74% 75% 46% 52 9% N/A  
396 Eastern Michigan University 1.51 to 1 72% 66% 76% 40% 97 9% N/A  
396 University of Illinois at Springfield 1.56 to 1 89% 60% 75% 61% 37 9% N/A  
399 Bellevue University 0.37 to 1 88% N/A 50% 37% 35 9% N/A  
399 Columbia Southern University 0.15 to 1 20% N/A 86% 39% 11 9% 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