Oglethorpe is among colleges nationwide with the lowest average student loan debt per borrower for the Class of 2016, according to LendEDU, a marketplace for student loans and student loan refinance.

Oglethorpe University was ranked as the 185th best private college nationwide for the lowest student loan debt per borrower out of more than 1,110 college and universities analyzed. 

“Clearly, [Oglethorpe] is doing a great job at helping students afford their education and attend college with as little debt as possible,” said David Rathmanner, spokesman at LendEDU.

The average Class of 2016 private university graduate has approximately $45,370 in student loan debt. With an average of $26,660 per borrower, Oglethorpe is well below the national average.

Of the 250 colleges with the lowest amount of student loan debt per borrower, 47% of the institutions were public. Of the 250 colleges with the highest amount of student loan debt per borrower, 80% 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 below the average in the state, where the loan debt per borrower is $27,325. OU graduates have lower debt than those from Georgia State University, Emory University, Agnes Scott College, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Clark Atlanta University, SCAD and others. Compare the average student loan debt for 2016 graduates of Oglethorpe, a private university, to the public Georgia State University and you’ll see Oglethorpe’s average is $3,300 lower.

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 2016 at the start of August 2017. LendEDU is the first organization to aggregate and analyze this data for the Class of 2016. 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 (editor note: 2017 amount; subject to change in subsequent years)
• Additional financial aid is available