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  
500 Peru State College 0.76 to 1 58% N/A 53% 26% 97 11% N/A  
500 Tarleton State University 1.08 to 1 25% 63% 67% 39% 86 11% N/A  
500 University of Alaska Southeast 0.83 to 1 28% N/A 57% 21% 29 11% N/A  
504 Jones College-Jacksonville 0.12 to 1 25% N/A 75% 33% 55 11% N/A  
504 Mt Sierra College 0.00 to 1 42% 40% 69% 27% 16 11% N/A  
504 University of the Cumberlands 1.83 to 1 99% 70% 62% 43% 48 11% N/A  
507 Granite State College 0.01 to 1 57% N/A 60% 17% 32 12% N/A  
507 York College 1.28 to 1 95% 84% 67% 43% 42 12% N/A  
509 Blue Mountain College 2.21 to 1 89% 52% 68% 50% 85 12% N/A  
509 Center for Advanced Legal Studies 0.09 to 1 0% 38% N/A 55% 23 12% N/A  
509 Columbia College 0.08 to 1 21% N/A 57% 40% 94 12% 85%  
509 Husson University 11.22 to 1 81% 75% 74% 38% 38 12% N/A  
509 The University of Texas at El Paso 2.29 to 1 37% 99% 75% 37% 76 12% N/A  
509 Wake Technical Community College 0.57 to 1 3% N/A 69% 15% 42 12% N/A  
515 Bunker Hill Community College 0.29 to 1 1% N/A 73% 9% 36 12% N/A  
515 Pacific Oaks College 0.22 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 53 12% N/A  
515 University of West Alabama 28.00 to 1 58% 68% 57% 30% 74 12% N/A  
518 Full Sail University 169.80 to 1 19% N/A 67% 80% 26 12% N/A  
518 Schreiner University 1.04 to 1 100% 61% 64% 40% 78 12% N/A  
518 Shorter University 1.36 to 1 98% 65% 68% 47% 89 12% N/A  
518 Shorter University-College of Adult & Professional Programs 0.15 to 1 4% N/A 66% 36% N/A 12% N/A  
518 Texas A & M International University 32.00 to 1 24% 48% 68% 42% 42 12% N/A  
518 The University of Texas at Tyler 2.30 to 1 44% 46% 64% 40% 38 12% N/A  
518 Western State College of Colorado 4.33 to 1 73% 93% 63% 39% 97 12% N/A  
525 Clayton State University 1.44 to 1 5% 39% 67% 26% 41 12% 100%  
525 Montana State University-Northern 1.48 to 1 39% 64% 58% 30% 80 12% N/A  
525 Quinsigamond Community College 0.35 to 1 12% N/A 55% 14% 45 12% N/A  
528 Barclay College 0.63 to 1 100% 100% 76% 41% 37 12% N/A  
528 Hudson Valley Community College 0.61 to 1 6% N/A 55% 25% 43 12% N/A  
528 Southern University and A & M College 4.06 to 1 18% 43% 70% 25% 74 12% N/A  
528 Southern University Law Center 1.00 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 59 12% N/A  
532 Ridgewater College 1.17 to 1 0% N/A 65% 37% 16 12% N/A  
532 University of Guam 0.87 to 1 1% N/A 69% 23% 49 12% N/A  
532 Western Kentucky University 1.80 to 1 27% 92% 73% 43% 86 12% N/A  
532 Winston-Salem State University 2.97 to 1 33% 62% 80% 41% 65 12% N/A  
536 Missouri Southern State University 2.06 to 1 47% 97% 60% 33% 63 12% N/A  
537 Albany State University 1.28 to 1 7% 55% 65% 41% 61 12% 85%  
537 Eastern Kentucky University 1.56 to 1 27% 66% 66% 37% 84 12% 100%  
537 Middle Tennessee State University 2.37 to 1 21% 70% 70% 45% 84 12% N/A  
540 Morehead State University 3.89 to 1 44% 89% 74% 36% 82 12% N/A  
541 Culver-Stockton College 1.45 to 1 100% 66% 65% 41% 88 13% N/A  
541 Delta State University 2.41 to 1 55% 58% 61% 32% 82 13% N/A  
541 Northcentral University 0.05 to 1 0% N/A N/A N/A 9 13% N/A  
541 Sheridan College 0.90 to 1 19% N/A 53% 31% 44 13% N/A  
541 Wayland Baptist University 0.41 to 1 82% 99% 50% 37% 56 13% N/A  
546 Minnesota State Community and Technical College 1.06 to 1 5% N/A 55% 35% 52 13% N/A  
547 Globe University-Minneapolis 0.30 to 1 20% N/A 38% N/A 4 13% N/A  
547 University of Central Arkansas 2.79 to 1 37% 91% 69% 40% 81 13% N/A  
549 Everglades University 0.44 to 1 42% 86% 70% 65% 19 13% N/A  
549 Northwood University-Florida Education Center 0.26 to 1 93% 46% 57% 34% 28 13% N/A  
549 Pitt Community College 0.62 to 1 8% N/A 57% 16% 43 13% N/A  
552 Keystone College 0.35 to 1 90% 91% 70% 44% 76 13% N/A  
552 Middlesex Community College 0.28 to 1 13% N/A 56% 13% 39 13% N/A  
554 Hampton University 3.39 to 1 28% 37% 67% 55% 80 13% N/A  
554 Jacksonville University 1.31 to 1 99% 42% 60% 40% 62 13% N/A  
554 University of Louisiana Monroe 4.09 to 1 47% 92% 69% 35% 57 13% N/A  
557 Akron Institute of Herzing University 1.22 to 1 8% 100% 20% 60% 10 13% N/A  
557 Herzing University-Madison 0.15 to 1 12% 100% 47% 59% 10 13% N/A  
557 University of the Incarnate Word 0.68 to 1 89% 95% 78% 43% 87 13% N/A  
560 Columbia Basin College 0.72 to 1 10% N/A 62% 30% 52 13% N/A  
561 College of San Mateo 0.65 to 1 3% N/A 73% 18% 60 13% N/A  
561 Dakota Wesleyan University 1.07 to 1 100% 76% 66% 42% 99 13% N/A  
561 Methodist College of Nursing 3.00 to 1 9% 89% 100% N/A 4 13% N/A  
561 Montgomery County Community College-Central Campus 0.35 to 1 1% N/A 61% 12% 42 13% N/A  
565 Argosy University-Orange County 0.05 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 1 13% N/A  
565 Hodges University 0.97 to 1 31% 61% 57% 26% 14 13% N/A  
565 Jacksonville State University 1.97 to 1 45% 84% 68% 32% 77 13% 100%  
568 Community College of Allegheny County 0.21 to 1 6% N/A 56% 11% 42 14% N/A  
568 Kentucky Christian University 2.50 to 1 94% 35% 67% 44% 28 14% N/A  
568 Mountain State University 0.30 to 1 9% N/A 50% 12% 31 14% N/A  
568 North Carolina A & T State University 3.28 to 1 51% 61% 74% 41% 76 14% N/A  
572 Arlington Baptist College 1.18 to 1 31% N/A 46% 41% 31 14% N/A  
573 Cumberland University 0.51 to 1 96% 49% 71% 34% 50 14% N/A  
573 Limestone College 1.13 to 1 90% 51% 59% 41% 84 14% N/A  
573 Tennessee State University 2.35 to 1 32% N/A 67% 36% 66 14% N/A  
576 Community College of Rhode Island 0.66 to 1 6% N/A 62% 11% 43 14% N/A  
576 Southeast Community College Area 13.50 to 1 1% N/A 63% 27% 29 14% N/A  
578 Brescia University 1.14 to 1 96% 48% 61% 32% 55 14% N/A  
578 Sterling College 1.03 to 1 100% 49% 62% 48% 84 14% N/A  
578 Strayer Virginia 0.20 to 1 49% N/A 52% 19% 31 14% N/A  
578 SUNY College of Technology at Delhi 1.24 to 1 28% 57% 80% 37% 60 14% N/A  
582 Lewis-Clark State College 1.65 to 1 53% 63% 56% 31% 48 14% N/A  
582 Northwestern State University of Louisiana 2.13 to 1 56% 82% 69% 34% 71 14% N/A  
582 The National Hispanic University 0.11 to 1 5% 99% 67% 18% 10 14% N/A  
582 University of North Alabama 2.32 to 1 34% 88% 71% 27% 78 14% N/A  
586 Brookline College 1.12 to 1 1% N/A 32% 65% 30 14% N/A  
586 Cayuga County Community College 0.28 to 1 7% N/A N/A 28% 47 14% 100%  
586 East Tennessee State University 2.43 to 1 13% 85% 70% 44% 85 14% N/A  
586 Harrison College-Indianapolis 0.25 to 1 9% 96% 7% 26% 32 14% N/A  
590 Del Mar College 0.54 to 1 20% N/A N/A 9% 66 14% N/A  
590 Drury University 0.22 to 1 42% 80% 73% 57% 97 14% N/A  
590 Pima Medical Institute 1.20 to 1 0% N/A 89% N/A 3 14% N/A  
590 Rasmussen College-Minnesota 0.17 to 1 100% 71% 44% 39% 33 14% N/A  
590 Southwestern Assemblies of God University 1.02 to 1 67% 32% 66% 36% 64 14% N/A  
595 Lindsey Wilson College 0.89 to 1 97% N/A 54% 28% 61 14% N/A  
596 Stephen F Austin State University 3.16 to 1 47% 63% 65% 44% 85 14% N/A  
597 Howard Payne University 2.83 to 1 99% 69% 57% 46% 64 15% N/A  
598 Heald College-Fresno 0.36 to 1 7% 87% 53% 39% 29 15% N/A  
598 Riverland Community College 0.60 to 1 6% N/A 59% 32% 16 15% N/A  
598 Saddleback College 0.35 to 1 0% N/A 76% 35% 41 15% 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