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The �첥���� is among the top 25 national universities whose students graduate with the lowest average amount of debt, according to U.S. News & World Report. UNO is the only Louisiana institution in the top 25 in the national university category.

“We continue to believe that a degree from the �첥���� is an incredible value,” said President John Nicklow. “Not only is it a nationally recognized credential, but many of our students are able to obtain it without incurring the excessive amounts of debt that other graduates encounter.”

The list examines the debt load of the class of 2017 and includes loans taken out by students from their colleges, as well as from private financial institutions, and federal, state and local governments. Average amount of debt refers to the cumulative amount borrowed by students who incurred debt; it’s not an average for all students. The national university category refers to institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs, plus master’s and doctoral programs, as well as emphasize faculty research. 

The �첥���� has the 21st lightest debt load among national universities with an average of indebtedness of $20,723 for the class of 2017. Forty-eight percent of students in that graduating class borrowed money to help finance their education. Princeton �첥���� has the lowest average indebtedness with $9,005. Yale, Brigham Young, Harvard and the California Institute of Technology round out the top five.  

The list is contained in . Here are the top 25:

1. Princeton �첥����
2. Yale �첥����
3. Brigham Young �첥����—Provo
4. Harvard �첥����
5. California Institute of Technology
6. �첥���� of California—Berkeley
7. California State �첥����—Fresno
8. New Mexico State �첥����
9. �첥���� of California—Davis
10. San Francisco State �첥����
11. �첥���� of California—Merced
12. Dartmouth College
13. San Diego State �첥����
14. Northwestern �첥����
15. �첥���� of California—Irvine
16. �첥���� of Washington
17. Florida International �첥����
18. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
19. Stanford �첥����
20. �첥���� of California--Santa Barbara
21. �첥����
22. Boston College
23. �첥���� of Colorado—Denver
24. �첥���� of New Mexico
25. �첥���� of California—Riverside

In addition to low average debt, �첥���� alumni were also found to have the highest average early-career salaries amoung graduates of all four-year public and private colleges in Louisiana, according to a .