No one will deny that college is expensive. College Raptor is dedicated to showing students and their families affordable college options. As part of that mission, we wanted to highlight schools where students had the lowest average of federal student loan debt!
In this list, we’ve ranked schools by the lowest average federal student loan debt amounts, limiting our results to the top 500 schools in the overall College Raptor rankings. We have excluded schools that guarantee to cover the complete cost of attendance, however colleges that are tuition-free but require students to pay other fees (such as room & board) were considered. Some of the colleges on this list are work colleges—where tuition is covered because students participate in work programs on campus.
To qualify as a College Raptor Hidden Gem, schools must meet the following requirements:
- Receive fewer than 5,000 applications
- Have fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students
Want to learn more about schools that won’t break the bank? Check out the list below!
Hidden Gems with the Lowest Avg. Federal Student Debt
Known as “Hard Work U”, the College of the Ozarks offers tuition-free schooling since the students participate in work programs. Of over 30 possible majors, Business, Public Relations, Registered Nursing, Elementary Education, and Criminal Justice are the five most popular.
Location
Point Lookout, MO
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,565
Founded in 1855, Berea College was the very first coeducational, non-segregated college that admitted both white and black students in the South. Of the nearly 1,580 applications sent in, Berea College accepts about 600 of them---giving them an acceptance rate of 38%.
Location
Berea, KY
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,673
“Macte virtute sic itur ad astra” is the official school motto of the Manhattan School of Music, meaning “Those who excel, thus reach the stars.” A number of notable musicians have graduated from the school, including Harry Connick Jr, Charlie Puth, and Herbie Hancock among others.
Location
New York, NY
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,008
With only a 5% acceptance rate, the Curtis Institute of Music is one of the most selective schools in the country. They offer one major---Music Performance. One notable alumni of the institute is composer Leonard Bernstein. Curtis has an incredibly cozy 2:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
171
Pitzer College was originally a women’s college, before becoming coeducational in 1970. Their mascot is Cecil the Sagehen. Pitzer offers a wide variety of programs and majors despite being a small school. The most popular majors include Mass Communication / Media Studies, Psychology, and Environmental Science.
Location
Claremont, CA
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,072
Students at Webb Institute all graduate with the same degree---Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. The marine-focused institute is located right on the Hempstead Bay. Students are known as the Webbies. Webb’s Stevenson Taylor Hall has been used as the Wayne Manor exterior in a number of Batman films and shows.
Location
Glen Cove, NY
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
104
Unlike other schools, Thomas Aquinas practices the Great Books and seminar educational method, focusing on reading books focused in Western culture in small class sizes. Thomas Aquinas has only one degree program, a BA in Liberal Arts. The school has a class size of approximately 11 students to every 1 faculty member.
Location
Santa Paula, CA
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
407
The top 5 most popular majors on the UW Bothell campus are Business Administration, Registered Nursing, Computer Science, Mass Communication, and Accounting---in that order. The Bothell branch of the University of Washington system, is one of the younger universities---founded in 1990.
Location
Bothell, WA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
5,970
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is more commonly called Cooper Union. It’s located on Manhattan Island, and their official school colors are maroon and gold. Cooper Union offers seven total majors: Fine Arts, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Architecture, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and General Engineering.
Location
New York, NY
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
952
At this university, undergrads outnumber the graduate students---almost 63% are studying for their bachelor’s degree. Registered Nursing, General Studies, Dance, Acting, and Music Teacher Education are the most popular majors on campus. The official school colors of OCU are blue and white.
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
2,773
Sewanee’s school motto may be long, but it is powerful. Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum habitare fratres in unum: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Economics, Psychology, English, International Studies, and History are the most popular major on this campus.
Location
Sewanee, TN
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,785
The majority of students currently enrolled at the New College of Florida as undergrads are women---62%, to be precise. Class sizes are approximately 8 students for every 1 faculty member. The campus is located right on Sarasota Bay. 81% of the incoming class is from Florida.
Location
Sarasota, FL
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
837
Students at Bennington College don’t choose traditional majors. Rather, Bennington lets students choose their own academic path. Students are expected to produce some work their senior year that fits within Bennington College’s disciplines. Bennington College has a 57% acceptance rate.
Location
Bennington, VT
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
811
Known as the “University in the Forest,” Drew University is indeed located near a 186 acre forest reserve. Fittingly, their sports teams are known as the Rangers, and their colors are blue and green. About 60% of Drew’s incoming students hail from New Jersey, though many other students come from neighboring states.
Location
Madison, NJ
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
2,263
Scripps has school colors of green and white. The college also possesses a unique mascot named Athena, called Athena La Semeuse, which means “She who sows.” The mascot is fitting to the school, as Scripps has always had a focus on educating women to prepare them for the professional world.
Location
Claremont, CA
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,071
Principia College’s motto is “As the Sowing, The Reaping.” The school’s colors are blue and gold. Principia College is nonselective, with a 92% acceptance rate. The college offers a range of majors and programs. The most popular ones include Education, Business Administration and Management, and Mass Communication/Media Studies.
Location
Elsah, IL
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
447
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five service academies in the US. Its motto is “Deeds not Words” and the official school colors are blue and gray. There is no undergraduate application fee and the academy is on a trimester calendar. The US Merchant Marine Academy offers six residence halls, and students are required to live on campus.
Location
Kings Point, NY
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
1,015
On average, Haverford College has 8 students to 1 faculty member on campus. Incoming freshmen score, on average, between 32 and 34 on the ACT, and for the SAT between 1370 and 1530. Biology, Economics, English, Political Science, and Psychology are the top five most popular majors. The college has an acceptance rate of 19%.
Location
Haverford, PA
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,310
Mount Holyoke is the oldest of the Seven Sisters schools, initially formed to offer women an Ivy League education. Today, Mount Holyoke is one of the five Seven Sister schools who are still women-only schools, and the first to offer admission to transgender women and non-binary students.
Location
Hadley, MA
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
2,335
Mills College was the first women’s college west of the Rocky Mountains when it moved to Oakland in 1871. The undergraduate class is composed entirely of women, though there are male graduate students who study there. The school’s motto---Una destinatio, viae diversae---means “One destination, many paths.”
Location
Oakland, CA
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,257
Petimus Credimus---We seek, we trust---is the motto of Bob Jones University. 89% of the student body studies at the undergraduate level. BJU accepts a majority of the applications sent in to them---86% to be precise. Only about 28% of the incoming students on campus come from South Carolina, the rest mainly come from the eastern portion of the US.
Location
Greenville, SC
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
3,005
While the highest concentration of incoming students come from Arkansas (37%, in fact), other students come from all over the country---including 41 different states. Both undergraduate and graduate students study on JBU’s campus, though there are far more undergrads. Incoming freshmen score an average of 23--30 on the ACT, and 1110--1365 on the SAT.
Location
Siloam Springs, AR
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
2,516
Incoming students to Earlham College, on average, score between 26 and 31 on the ACT, and between 1160 and 1380 on the SAT. Numerous notable alumni have graduated from Earlham, including NASA computer scientist and engineer Margaret Hamilton and actor Michael C. Hall.
Location
Richmond, IN
Institution Type
Private
Student Enrollment
1,104
The University of Minnesota -- Morris is classified as a Native American-serving institution. As the bachelor’s is the highest degree offered, you’ll only find undergraduate students on campus. 78% of the first year class comes from the state of Minnesota. UM Morris’ school colors are maroon and gold. Their mascot is Pounce the Cougar.
Location
Morris, MN
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
1,552
The Virginia Military Institute certainly has an interesting mascot---Moe the Kangaroo. VMI also has a total of three school colors: red, yellow, and white. The Institute has a 51% acceptance rate, and a first year retention rate of 89%. While about 60% of the first-year students do come from Virginia, many come across the country as well.
Location
Lexington, VA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
1,685
Interested in any of these schools? Check out College Raptor’s free match tool to see if they’re a good fit for you!
Methodology
Colleges are ranked based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the most recently-available enrollment year. Some colleges may have been excluded from rankings based on certain criteria, including specialization and classification. Learn about our full methodology.
