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Updated March 2026

Is Your College Degree
a Debt Trap?

Free ROI analysis for 33,947 degree programs across 4,508 universities. Exposed by government data.

Top 50 Worst ROI Degrees

Ranked by debt-to-earnings ratio. The higher the number, the worse the trap.

Ratio: 11.4x #1

Medicine.

Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara

Median Debt

$288,125

1-Yr Earnings

$25,278

Ratio: 9.18x #2

Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems.

Bastyr University

Median Debt

$300,530

1-Yr Earnings

$32,755

Ratio: 8.71x #3

Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems.

National University of Natural Medicine

Median Debt

$263,594

1-Yr Earnings

$30,249

Ratio: 8.16x #4

Law.

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce

Median Debt

$122,712

1-Yr Earnings

$15,041

Ratio: 7.7x #5

Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems.

Sonoran University of Health Sciences

Median Debt

$224,000

1-Yr Earnings

$29,079

Ratio: 7.61x #6

Medicine.

Sonoran University of Health Sciences

Median Debt

$224,000

1-Yr Earnings

$29,422

Ratio: 6.98x #7

Medicine.

St. George's University, School of Medicine

Median Debt

$398,007

1-Yr Earnings

$56,996

Ratio: 6.96x #8

Chiropractic.

Sherman College of Chiropractic

Median Debt

$200,332

1-Yr Earnings

$28,770

Ratio: 6.82x #9

Chiropractic.

Life Chiropractic College West

Median Debt

$206,392

1-Yr Earnings

$30,264

Ratio: 6.79x #10

Medicine.

University of Queensland

Median Debt

$367,010

1-Yr Earnings

$54,025

Ratio: 6.63x #11

Law.

Whittier College

Median Debt

$227,419

1-Yr Earnings

$34,282

Ratio: 6.62x #12

Medicine.

Ross University, School of Medicine

Median Debt

$360,415

1-Yr Earnings

$54,478

Ratio: 6.56x #13

Chiropractic.

Cleveland University-Kansas City

Median Debt

$228,650

1-Yr Earnings

$34,834

Ratio: 6.51x #14

Medicine.

American University of the Caribbean

Median Debt

$355,311

1-Yr Earnings

$54,576

Ratio: 6.49x #15

Chiropractic.

Life University

Median Debt

$245,218

1-Yr Earnings

$37,777

Ratio: 6.48x #16

Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems.

Maryland University of Integrative Health

Median Debt

$144,500

1-Yr Earnings

$22,306

Ratio: 6.46x #17

Film/Video and Photographic Arts.

New York Film Academy

Median Debt

$127,588

1-Yr Earnings

$19,753

Ratio: 6.43x #18

Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences.

University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Median Debt

$56,846

1-Yr Earnings

$8,836

Ratio: 6.23x #19

Law.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Median Debt

$229,699

1-Yr Earnings

$36,892

Ratio: 6.01x #20

Film/Video and Photographic Arts.

New York University

Median Debt

$168,162

1-Yr Earnings

$27,998

Ratio: 5.92x #21

Film/Video and Photographic Arts.

University of Southern California

Median Debt

$167,503

1-Yr Earnings

$28,279

Ratio: 5.88x #22

Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems.

National University of Health Sciences

Median Debt

$203,837

1-Yr Earnings

$34,686

Ratio: 5.71x #23

Medicine.

Meharry Medical College

Median Debt

$314,277

1-Yr Earnings

$55,026

Ratio: 5.68x #24

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.

Pace University

Median Debt

$146,432

1-Yr Earnings

$25,800

Ratio: 5.61x #25

Medicine.

Tulane University of Louisiana

Median Debt

$322,603

1-Yr Earnings

$57,475

Ratio: 5.6x #26

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.

New York Film Academy

Median Debt

$100,507

1-Yr Earnings

$17,961

Ratio: 5.6x #27

Film/Video and Photographic Arts.

Chapman University

Median Debt

$144,710

1-Yr Earnings

$25,829

Ratio: 5.57x #28

Medicine.

Medical University of Lublin

Median Debt

$173,363

1-Yr Earnings

$31,105

Ratio: 5.35x #29

Chiropractic.

Southern California University of Health Sciences

Median Debt

$186,190

1-Yr Earnings

$34,808

Ratio: 5.23x #30

Religion/Religious Studies.

Claremont Graduate University

Median Debt

$189,344

1-Yr Earnings

$36,208

Ratio: 5.21x #31

Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems.

Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College-Berkeley

Median Debt

$102,806

1-Yr Earnings

$19,731

Ratio: 5.18x #32

Dentistry.

University of Southern California

Median Debt

$439,325

1-Yr Earnings

$84,839

Ratio: 5.07x #33

Medicine.

Saba University School of Medicine

Median Debt

$272,789

1-Yr Earnings

$53,752

Ratio: 4.95x #34

Law.

Thomas M Cooley Law School

Median Debt

$202,668

1-Yr Earnings

$40,979

Ratio: 4.95x #35

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.

Chapman University

Median Debt

$138,664

1-Yr Earnings

$28,001

Ratio: 4.88x #36

Dentistry.

Columbia University in the City of New York

Median Debt

$324,057

1-Yr Earnings

$66,443

Ratio: 4.85x #37

Law.

Arizona Summit Law School

Median Debt

$227,656

1-Yr Earnings

$46,951

Ratio: 4.83x #38

Law.

Atlanta's John Marshall Law School

Median Debt

$193,041

1-Yr Earnings

$40,003

Ratio: 4.75x #39

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology.

Adler University

Median Debt

$293,305

1-Yr Earnings

$61,722

Ratio: 4.75x #40

Film/Video and Photographic Arts.

American Film Institute Conservatory

Median Debt

$164,727

1-Yr Earnings

$34,698

Ratio: 4.72x #41

Chiropractic.

Northwestern Health Sciences University

Median Debt

$189,656

1-Yr Earnings

$40,211

Ratio: 4.71x #42

Medicine.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Median Debt

$273,352

1-Yr Earnings

$58,091

Ratio: 4.71x #43

Film/Video and Photographic Arts.

Columbia University in the City of New York

Median Debt

$163,605

1-Yr Earnings

$34,730

Ratio: 4.67x #44

Natural Sciences.

Daemen University

Median Debt

$27,000

1-Yr Earnings

$5,783

Ratio: 4.66x #45

Medicine.

Central Michigan University

Median Debt

$254,007

1-Yr Earnings

$54,526

Ratio: 4.65x #46

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology.

Palo Alto University

Median Debt

$286,181

1-Yr Earnings

$61,567

Ratio: 4.65x #47

Fine and Studio Arts.

Claremont Graduate University

Median Debt

$111,000

1-Yr Earnings

$23,887

Ratio: 4.6x #48

Medicine.

Medical University of the Americas

Median Debt

$239,627

1-Yr Earnings

$52,040

Ratio: 4.56x #49

Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies.

Thomas M Cooley Law School

Median Debt

$199,224

1-Yr Earnings

$43,655

Ratio: 4.53x #50

Medicine.

University of Illinois Chicago

Median Debt

$263,341

1-Yr Earnings

$58,073

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