SIUE among national leaders in students graduating with low debt

EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranks 162nd out of 1,161 colleges nationally for the lowest student loan debt per borrower, according to LendEDU. Among public institutions, SIUE ranks 78th nationally. Among all Illinois public institutions, SIUE is second.

The survey demonstrates that undergraduate SIUE students, who choose to borrow, carry a low amount of student debt ($22,277 average) at graduation and well below the average for a college student in Illinois ($29,589). More than 42 percent of SIUE students graduate with zero student debt.

According to Payscale.com data for 2016, the starting salary for the average SIUE graduate was $48,100.

“The investment in an SIUE education pays dividends immediately for our students,” said Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “Employers and graduate schools recognize the quality of SIUE’s highly rated and accredited degrees. As a result, our graduates have opportunities well worth the student loan payment after graduation.”

LendEDU is the first organization to aggregate and analyze this data for the Class of 2016. See the rankings at Student Loan Debt Rankings - School Level or at the state level at Student Loan Debt By State By School.

LendEDU’s Student Loan Debt By School By State Report was created using the latest licensed Peterson’s financial aid data. Peterson’s released the fresh data for the Class of 2016 in September 2017.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.

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