Oglethorpe is among colleges nationwide with the lowest average student loan debt per borrower for the Class of 2015, according to LendEDU, a marketplace for student loans and student loan refinance.

“Oglethorpe University was ranked 196 out of 1,300 colleges nationwide for the lowest student loan debt per borrower,” said Alex Coleman, director of business development at LendEDU. “In other words, we found that Oglethorpe University is giving students a very low amount of student debt at graduation.”

Nationwide, the average Class of 2015 graduate has approximately $28,400 in student loan debt. With an average of $23,212 per borrower, Oglethorpe is #196 nationwide, but #99 in the U.S. among private universities. Of the 250 colleges with the lowest amount of student loan debt per borrower, 51% of the institutions were public. Of the 250 colleges with the highest amount of student loan debt per borrower, 82% of the institutions were private.

Oglethorpe not only ranks well nationally, but also demonstrates impressive value in Georgia, in comparison to both private universities and public institutions. Among the Georgia schools evaluated, Oglethorpe came in 2nd lowest in the state, where the average loan debt per borrower is $27,043. OU graduates have lower debt than those from Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Emory University, Agnes Scott College, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Berry College, and others. Compare average student loan debt for 2015 graduates of Oglethorpe, a private university, and of the public University of Georgia, and the difference is only just over $1000. 

LendEDU’s Student Loan Debt By School By State Report was created using the newest licensed Peterson’s financial aid data. Peterson’s released the fresh data for the Class of 2015 at the start of August 2016. LendEDU is the first organization to aggregate and analyze this data for the Class of 2015. In the report, the nation’s colleges and universities are ranked to see which schools are giving graduates the most, and the least, amount of student loan debt.

Here’s how Oglethorpe offers a great education at a great value:

• 98% of students receive aid
• >90% receive need-based financial aid
• $15,000,000 + Oglethorpe aid awarded annually
• > 80% receive OU merit scholarships
• 10 competitive full-tuition scholarships awarded annually
• Oglethorpe matches HOPE scholarships
• Oglethorpe offers out-of-state HOPE equivalents
• $2,000 minimum OU grant just for completing the FAFSA
• Additional financial aid is available