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  
601 Cecil College 0.21 to 1 62% N/A N/A 8% 38 15% N/A  
601 Lamar University 3.23 to 1 13% 46% 65% 31% 57 15% N/A  
601 SUNY College of Technology at Canton 1.29 to 1 34% 74% 75% 35% 60 15% N/A  
601 University of Arkansas at Little Rock 1.34 to 1 43% 96% 62% 22% 83 15% N/A  
601 University of Bridgeport 0.36 to 1 98% 57% 53% 28% 61 15% N/A  
606 Mercer County Community College 0.25 to 1 0% N/A 61% 18% 45 15% N/A  
606 North Carolina Central University 2.36 to 1 64% 61% 68% 38% 74 15% N/A  
606 Youngstown State University 0.77 to 1 35% N/A 65% 34% 67 15% N/A  
609 Eastern Iowa Community College District 0.26 to 1 15% N/A N/A 26% 29 15% N/A  
609 Glendale Community College 0.46 to 1 0% N/A N/A 28% 60 15% 94%  
609 Harford Community College 0.24 to 1 11% N/A 66% 19% 45 15% N/A  
609 Kirkwood Community College 0.42 to 1 14% N/A 49% 22% 42 15% N/A  
609 New Mexico State University-Carlsbad 1.11 to 1 23% N/A 49% 4% 62 15% N/A  
609 New Mexico State University-Dona Ana 0.34 to 1 7% N/A 62% 12% 39 15% N/A  
609 New Mexico State University-Main Campus 2.72 to 1 31% 80% 70% 46% 86 15% N/A  
609 Santa Fe College 0.52 to 1 5% N/A N/A 43% 44 15% N/A  
617 Grand Canyon University 0.07 to 1 85% 37% 59% 31% 44 15% N/A  
617 Southwestern Adventist University 26.50 to 1 76% N/A 58% 46% 54 15% N/A  
617 Troy University 0.71 to 1 34% 71% 74% 32% 78 15% N/A  
620 Community College of Vermont 0.00 to 1 11% N/A 45% 12% 37 15% N/A  
620 Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical 1.24 to 1 0% N/A 62% 29% 17 15% N/A  
620 Nevada State College 0.37 to 1 26% 66% 62% 22% 6 15% N/A  
620 Reinhardt University 0.54 to 1 75% 58% 56% 48% 59 15% N/A  
624 Jamestown Community College 0.29 to 1 13% N/A 62% 32% 56 15% N/A  
624 Olympic College 0.36 to 1 6% N/A N/A 30% 64 15% N/A  
626 Colorado Northwestern Community College 0.56 to 1 58% N/A 51% 20% 36 15% N/A  
626 Des Moines Area Community College 67.40 to 1 8% N/A N/A 42% 38 15% N/A  
626 Northwestern Oklahoma State University 1.19 to 1 60% 100% 59% 37% 90 15% N/A  
626 Sul Ross State University 2.70 to 1 42% N/A 49% 25% 83 15% N/A  
626 Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College 0.67 to 1 9% N/A 72% 41% 33 15% N/A  
631 Cedar Valley College 0.31 to 1 9% N/A N/A 13% 33 16% N/A  
631 Cuyahoga Community College District 0.23 to 1 2% N/A 47% 4% 33 16% N/A  
631 Prince George's Community College 0.17 to 1 4% N/A 61% 9% 43 16% N/A  
634 Angelo State University 4.18 to 1 50% 93% 61% 31% 76 16% N/A  
634 Foothill College 0.61 to 1 4% N/A N/A 53% 53 16% N/A  
636 Central Community College 1.06 to 1 24% N/A N/A 33% 32 16% N/A  
636 Daytona College 9.00 to 1 26% N/A N/A 69% 8 16% N/A  
636 Jefferson College 0.35 to 1 10% N/A 60% 28% 43 16% N/A  
639 West Los Angeles College 0.33 to 1 0% N/A 61% 12% 41 16% N/A  
640 Massasoit Community College 0.22 to 1 4% N/A 62% 13% 41 16% N/A  
640 Oakton Community College 0.28 to 1 21% N/A 72% 13% 36 16% N/A  
642 Northampton County Area Community College 0.14 to 1 5% N/A 62% 21% 42 16% N/A  
642 The University of Tennessee-Martin 1.35 to 1 55% 73% 73% 48% 61 16% N/A  
642 The University of Texas at Brownsville 1.48 to 1 88% N/A 46% 19% 17 16% N/A  
642 The University of Texas of the Permian Basin 2.20 to 1 89% 79% 59% 34% 37 16% N/A  
642 Tri-County Technical College 0.41 to 1 4% N/A 41% 9% 41 16% N/A  
647 Bethel University 0.49 to 1 86% 48% 62% 32% 60 16% N/A  
648 Front Range Community College 0.26 to 1 10% N/A N/A 21% 37 16% N/A  
649 Anne Arundel Community College 0.22 to 1 3% N/A 61% 12% 44 16% N/A  
649 Jackson State University 2.72 to 1 41% 31% 73% 40% 64 16% 70%  
649 Joliet Junior College 0.34 to 1 5% N/A 55% 11% 95 16% N/A  
649 Suffolk County Community College 0.23 to 1 2% N/A 65% 19% 46 16% N/A  
653 Galen College of Nursing-Louisville 1.26 to 1 0% 74% N/A 79% 29 17% N/A  
654 Austin Peay State University 1.25 to 1 17% 88% 69% 34% 65 17% N/A  
654 J Sargeant Reynolds Community College 0.28 to 1 4% N/A 59% 9% 38 17% N/A  
654 Pensacola State College 0.47 to 1 22% N/A N/A 30% 56 17% N/A  
654 United States University 0.12 to 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A 7 17% N/A  
658 Allegany College of Maryland 0.37 to 1 21% N/A 55% 21% 47 17% N/A  
658 Hesser College 0.12 to 1 8% N/A 89% 4% 27 17% N/A  
658 Lake Superior College 0.62 to 1 0% N/A 55% 22% 14 17% N/A  
658 Northeast Community College 0.61 to 1 25% N/A 63% 46% 33 17% N/A  
662 Southwestern College (2) 0.22 to 1 1% N/A 63% 12% 48 17% N/A  
663 Jefferson Community College 0.57 to 1 10% N/A 54% 29% 43 17% N/A  
663 Southwestern Oklahoma State University 3.82 to 1 57% 92% 57% 37% 90 17% N/A  
663 University of Northwestern Ohio 1.75 to 1 21% N/A 59% 60% 25 17% N/A  
663 University of the Southwest 0.50 to 1 87% N/A 49% 18% 32 17% N/A  
667 Austin Community College District 0.46 to 1 16% N/A N/A 4% 34 17% N/A  
667 Minnesota School of Business-Richfield 0.12 to 1 57% N/A 64% 31% 59 17% N/A  
667 Northern Essex Community College 0.20 to 1 1% N/A 60% 14% 43 17% N/A  
667 Northwest Technical College 0.53 to 1 2% N/A 48% 29% 17 17% N/A  
667 Truett-McConnell College 0.62 to 1 98% 83% 74% 28% 46 17% N/A  
672 Coleman University 0.31 to 1 0% 100% N/A 66% 45 17% N/A  
672 Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design 0.68 to 1 99% N/A 59% 56% 12 17% N/A  
674 Brookdale Community College 0.34 to 1 3% N/A 66% 20% 40 17% N/A  
674 Laramie County Community College 0.44 to 1 54% N/A 58% 13% 37 17% N/A  
676 Cabrillo College 0.75 to 1 0% N/A 72% 25% 51 17% N/A  
676 Fayetteville State University 5.83 to 1 61% 61% 70% 31% 65 17% N/A  
676 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus 2.82 to 1 71% 67% 60% 33% 83 17% N/A  
679 Charter College 0.31 to 1 0% N/A 80% 94% 24 18% N/A  
679 College of Southern Idaho 0.80 to 1 39% N/A 54% 17% 44 18% N/A  
681 Hartnell College 0.37 to 1 3% N/A 69% 23% 60 18% N/A  
681 Metropolitan Community College Area 0.29 to 1 15% N/A 43% 13% 33 18% N/A  
681 Northeastern State University 2.06 to 1 13% 54% 63% 26% 90 18% N/A  
684 Lone Star College System 0.21 to 1 4% N/A 69% 10% 36 18% N/A  
685 Cerro Coso Community College 0.43 to 1 0% N/A 49% 19% 37 18% N/A  
685 Truckee Meadows Community College 0.45 to 1 4% N/A 63% 17% 32 18% N/A  
685 Western New Mexico University 0.47 to 1 0% N/A 50% 18% 86 18% N/A  
688 Macon State College 1.48 to 1 9% 75% 74% 13% 42 18% N/A  
688 Pittsburgh Technical Institute 1.72 to 1 42% N/A 67% 54% 10 18% N/A  
690 Lansing Community College 0.12 to 1 6% N/A 51% 15% 48 18% N/A  
690 Los Angeles Pierce College 0.44 to 1 0% N/A 74% 23% 60 18% N/A  
690 Missouri Valley College 1.66 to 1 100% 50% 50% 26% 96 18% N/A  
693 Clovis Community College 0.31 to 1 3% N/A 34% 4% 25 18% N/A  
693 Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus 1.67 to 1 42% 63% 64% 24% 65 18% N/A  
693 Kennebec Valley Community College 0.34 to 1 25% N/A 67% 40% 33 18% N/A  
693 Parkland College 0.46 to 1 9% N/A 60% 20% 40 18% N/A  
697 Rogers State University 0.66 to 1 12% 54% 64% 12% 62 18% N/A  
698 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University 3.48 to 1 25% 48% 79% 40% 77 18% N/A  
698 Florida State College at Jacksonville 0.51 to 1 15% N/A N/A 32% 43 18% N/A  
698 Johnson County Community College 0.61 to 1 11% N/A 56% 17% 37 18% 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