UNO Makes U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Least Debt’ List for Second Year in a Row

For the second straight year, the University of New Orleans ranks among the universities whose students graduate with the lightest debt loads, according to U.S. News & World Report. UNO ranks first among national universities in percentage of graduates with debt and 24^th in terms of average amount of debt. 

The list examines the debt load of the class of 2011 and includes loans taken out by students from their colleges, from private financial institutions and federal, state and local governments. Average amount of debt refers to the cumulative amount borrowed by students who incurred debt. For UNO’s class of 2011, that amount was $18,106. Only 23 other national universities had a lower average debt load. 

Of the 26 national universities listed on the “least debt” list, UNO’s percentage of graduates with debt (19%) is the lowest. The university with the lowest average amount of debt is Princeton University ($5,000). Universities included in the national universities category offer a full range of undergraduate programs, plus master’s and Ph.D. programs, and emphasize faculty research. 

“We are pleased to receive this type of recognition for the second year in a row,” said UNO President Peter J. Fos. “As both the president and a graduate of UNO, I can attest to the value of a UNO education. We have excellent academic programs, a superb faculty and a diverse and talented group of students; we continue to take great pride in the affordability, accessibility and quality of a UNO degree.” The information is contained in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 edition of Best Colleges.                                   

                                                % of grads     Avg.

                                                with debt    amount of debt 

Princeton University (NJ)       25%                 $5,000

Yale University (CT)             23%                 $8,940

Harvard University (MA)       34%                 $11,780

Cal Tech                                  43%                 $13,442

BYU (UT)                               32%                 $14,320

Howard University (DC)        82%                 $15,080

University of Houston            49%                 $15,613

San Diego State University    44%                 $16,400

Stanford University (CA)       28%                 $16,458

Old Dominion University      75%                  $16,500

Rice University (TX)              24%                 $16,528

University of Texas–Dallas    36%                 $16,813

University of Florida              52%                 $16,841

Cal–Berkeley                          42%                 $17,116

Dartmouth College (NH)        50%                 $17,119

Utah State University             48%                 $17,200

Fla. International Univ.            47%                $17,256

NC State–Raleigh                    55%                $17,317

University at Buffalo–SUNY  45%               $17,440

UNC–Chapel Hill                    37%                $17,525

East Carolina Univ. (NC)        61%                $17,805

University of Pennsylvania      43%                $17,891

New Mexico State University  49%               $18,059

University of New Orleans    19%               $18,106

MIT                                          46%                $18,127

Texas Tech University             49%                $18,296