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  
399 Hope International University 0.23 to 1 98% 52% 67% 33% 43 9% N/A  
399 Kent State University at Kent 1.19 to 1 57% 89% 75% 50% 97 9% N/A  
399 Southwestern College (1) 0.29 to 1 100% 87% 70% 57% 80 9% N/A  
404 Black Hills State University 2.12 to 1 37% 94% 61% 29% 84 9% N/A  
404 Columbus State University 1.37 to 1 11% 54% 70% 31% 49 9% N/A  
404 Ohio University-Eastern Campus 0.33 to 1 26% N/A 57% 27% 55 9% N/A  
404 Ohio University-Main Campus 2.79 to 1 58% 86% 80% 65% 99 9% N/A  
404 Ohio University-Zanesville Campus 0.49 to 1 20% N/A 56% 39% 66 9% N/A  
404 Oklahoma Christian University 1.13 to 1 100% 51% 76% 45% 46 9% N/A  
404 University of Southern Maine 1.36 to 1 41% 78% 66% 33% 52 9% N/A  
404 Wayne State College 1.48 to 1 30% N/A 68% 51% 95 9% N/A  
412 Albertus Magnus College 0.17 to 1 81% 87% 76% 51% 80 9% N/A  
412 Anthem College-Phoenix 0.08 to 1 1% N/A 29% 37% 3 9% N/A  
412 Southeast Technical Institute 0.74 to 1 6% N/A 57% 34% 31 9% N/A  
415 King College 1.27 to 1 79% 66% 67% 41% 65 9% N/A  
415 McKendree University 0.52 to 1 100% 68% 76% 54% 42 9% N/A  
415 Tabor College 0.54 to 1 100% 91% 69% 52% 47 9% N/A  
418 AIB College of Business 0.51 to 1 69% 58% 65% 50% 26 9% N/A  
418 Florida Institute of Technology 0.61 to 1 97% 57% 80% 56% 48 9% N/A  
418 Mississippi University for Women 2.06 to 1 78% 44% 75% 39% 91 9% N/A  
418 Monroe College-Main Campus 0.46 to 1 58% 61% 66% 51% 22 9% N/A  
418 San Diego Christian College 0.46 to 1 88% 39% 62% 31% 30 9% N/A  
418 Thomas University to 1 95% N/A 63% 9% 28 9% N/A  
418 University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne 10.58 to 1 97% 54% 72% 54% 55 9% N/A  
425 Armstrong Atlantic State University 1.55 to 1 6% 57% 65% 32% 72 9% N/A  
425 Florida International University 1.46 to 1 46% 51% 82% 43% 38 9% N/A  
425 Pittsburg State University 3.16 to 1 56% 77% 73% 50% 97 9% N/A  
425 Rosemont College 0.24 to 1 97% 54% 67% 58% 82 9% N/A  
429 Bluefield College 0.70 to 1 99% 49% 56% 36% 63 9% N/A  
429 Cuyahoga Valley Career Center 0.55 to 1 0% 94% 70% 72% 82 9% N/A  
429 University of Memphis 1.51 to 1 29% 66% 77% 38% 85 9% N/A  
429 University of Wisconsin-Superior 2.57 to 1 26% 89% 68% 44% 96 9% N/A  
429 Worcester State University 0.80 to 1 42% 65% 80% 47% 55 9% N/A  
434 Highland Community College 0.29 to 1 66% N/A 53% 24% 35 9% N/A  
434 Kennesaw State University 1.28 to 1 3% 64% 77% 41% 44 9% N/A  
434 University of Hawaii at Hilo 3.67 to 1 39% 71% 69% 36% 36 9% N/A  
437 Bethel College-Mishawaka 0.75 to 1 97% 69% 85% 51% 41 9% N/A  
438 Pennsylvania College of Technology 2.91 to 1 5% N/A 66% 47% 42 10% N/A  
438 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College 0.59 to 1 98% 51% 59% 57% 93 10% N/A  
438 The University of Texas at Arlington 2.29 to 1 50% 69% 71% 40% 48 10% N/A  
438 Wayne State University 1.59 to 1 76% 76% 77% 26% 97 10% N/A  
442 Campbellsville University 0.86 to 1 95% 63% 66% 44% 49 10% N/A  
442 Davenport University 137.00 to 1 81% 93% 68% 25% 36 10% N/A  
442 Trine University 1.34 to 1 95% 72% 73% 44% 46 10% N/A  
442 Trine University-Fort Wayne Regional Campus to 1 0% 64% 50% N/A 18 10% N/A  
442 Valley City State University 2.46 to 1 88% 87% 57% 42% 97 10% N/A  
447 Capella University 0.20 to 1 33% 100% 67% 0% 15 10% N/A  
447 Southeast Missouri State University 102.25 to 1 69% 97% 71% 46% 97 10% N/A  
447 University of Toledo 2.27 to 1 87% N/A 65% 45% 90 10% N/A  
450 Central Pennsylvania College 0.27 to 1 34% 43% 42% 46% 35 10% N/A  
450 Chaminade University of Honolulu 0.47 to 1 99% 90% 71% 38% 52 10% N/A  
450 Great Basin College 0.43 to 1 14% N/A 58% 23% 38 10% N/A  
450 Our Lady of the Lake University-San Antonio 0.75 to 1 99% 55% 59% 36% 89 10% N/A  
450 University of South Florida-Main Campus 7.26 to 1 53% 38% 88% 52% 47 10% N/A  
455 Marshall University 2.53 to 1 54% 81% 70% 45% 84 10% N/A  
455 Oklahoma Wesleyan University 15.50 to 1 98% 58% 66% 48% 34 10% N/A  
457 Fontbonne University 0.42 to 1 93% 63% 74% 43% 86 10% N/A  
457 Franklin University 0.09 to 1 4% N/A 32% 19% 36 10% N/A  
457 Green Mountain College 1.57 to 1 95% 67% 63% 44% 78 10% N/A  
457 NHTI-Concord's Community College 0.29 to 1 0% N/A 55% 27% 43 10% N/A  
457 North Park University 0.68 to 1 93% 47% 75% 52% 86 10% N/A  
457 Northern State University 7.75 to 1 65% 94% 68% 37% 94 10% N/A  
463 Bellevue College 0.30 to 1 9% N/A N/A 29% 42 10% N/A  
463 Caldwell College 0.68 to 1 87% 62% 76% 58% 60 10% N/A  
463 Park University 0.15 to 1 49% 76% 67% 39% 99 10% N/A  
466 Abilene Christian University 8.48 to 1 94% 64% 75% 60% 41 10% 18%  
466 Indiana State University 2.56 to 1 54% 85% 58% 43% 97 10% N/A  
466 Midwestern State University 2.72 to 1 45% 52% 68% 34% 62 10% N/A  
466 Mount Aloysius College 0.58 to 1 99% 72% 62% 51% 69 10% N/A  
466 Salem State University 0.79 to 1 54% 57% 73% 42% 59 10% N/A  
466 Washburn University 0.90 to 1 50% 100% 62% 38% 99 10% N/A  
466 Washington Adventist University 24.50 to 1 93% N/A 69% 28% 70 10% N/A  
473 Alexandria Technical & Community College 0.86 to 1 25% N/A 69% 56% 32 10% 90%  
473 Union College 2.40 to 1 100% 74% 56% 32% 80 10% N/A  
473 University of North Texas 2.67 to 1 48% 65% 78% 49% 87 10% N/A  
476 Eastern Oregon University 7.93 to 1 61% 74% 72% 32% 81 10% N/A  
476 Ottawa University-Online to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 10% N/A  
476 St. John's University-New York 0.73 to 1 95% 46% 79% 57% 91 10% N/A  
479 Shoreline Community College 0.45 to 1 18% N/A 64% 37% 46 11% N/A  
480 Mid-Continent University 0.32 to 1 8% 95% 65% 24% 25 11% N/A  
480 New England College 0.62 to 1 96% 77% 60% 38% 45 11% N/A  
480 Saint Peter's College 0.73 to 1 99% 67% 73% 51% 77 11% N/A  
480 Southeastern University 1.56 to 1 84% N/A 66% 42% 26 11% N/A  
480 Southern Polytechnic State University 2.14 to 1 1% 74% 76% 32% 48 11% N/A  
480 The University of Texas-Pan American 13.15 to 1 36% 70% 78% 42% 56 11% N/A  
486 Chancellor University 0.23 to 1 19% 100% 45% 4% 34 11% N/A  
486 Georgia Southwestern State University 2.02 to 1 30% 68% 65% 30% 80 11% N/A  
486 Napa Valley College 0.37 to 1 0% N/A 77% 31% 60 11% N/A  
486 Western Illinois University 10.25 to 1 45% 66% 71% 53% 99 11% N/A  
490 Manchester Community College 0.27 to 1 N/A N/A 53% 20% 37 11% N/A  
490 Sam Houston State University 3.54 to 1 16% 87% 73% 50% 87 11% N/A  
492 Northern Kentucky University 1.36 to 1 36% 66% 66% 37% 39 11% N/A  
493 Presentation College 1.59 to 1 81% 75% 67% 39% 41 11% N/A  
493 University of Southern Mississippi 3.51 to 1 58% 63% 72% 47% 83 11% N/A  
495 Academy of Art University 0.20 to 1 9% N/A 65% 34% 14 11% N/A  
495 The University of Texas at San Antonio 2.54 to 1 53% 83% 62% 27% 38 11% N/A  
495 West Texas A & M University 1.92 to 1 34% 69% 65% 42% 87 11% N/A  
498 Friends University 0.47 to 1 89% 64% 66% 25% 61 11% N/A  
498 Indiana Institute of Technology 0.15 to 1 80% 65% 59% 19% 50 11% N/A  
500 Holy Names University 0.32 to 1 98% 64% 70% 39% 63 11% 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