SIUE among national leaders in students graduating with low debt

EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranks 116th out of 1,300 colleges nationally for the lowest student loan debt per borrower according to LendEDU. Among public institutions, SIUE ranks 54^th nationally. Among all Illinois institutions, SIUE is second.

The survey demonstrates that undergraduate SIUE students, who choose to borrow, carry a very low amount of student debt ($20,817 average) at graduation. More than 42 percent of SIUE students graduate with zero student debt.

According to Payscale.com data for 2015, the starting salary for the average SIUE graduate was $46,800. “For our students, who choose to borrow, the investment appears to pay dividends immediately,” said SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “Employers and graduate schools recognize the quality of the highly accredited degrees offered at SIUE. As a result, our graduates have opportunities well worth the student loan payment required after graduation.”

LendEDU is the first organization to aggregate and analyze this data for the Class of 2015. 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 2015 at the start of August 2016.

“We encourage students and families to consider student debt before decision day,” said Alex Coleman, LendEDU director of business development. “SIUE is doing an excellent job helping students avoid student debt.”

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 more than 14,000.

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