affordability. affordable colleges with good job prospects. barnard college, james madison. they say where students graduate on time and pay off debt quickly, harvey mudd, coleman university, bismarck state college and affordable colleges for low-income students. you ll see a lot of state schools meet that criteria. you can go to collegescorecard.ed.gov and take a look at the different universities. two most important things they can show you, how much a typical graduate makes ten years out and what the typical student monthly loan payment is of a new graduate. those are important metrics when choosing a college that s important. you type in a typical name and all the information comes up, how much the student owes and the monthly payments. it s eye-opening in some cases,