Student debt has become a hot political issue, largely because there's so much of it. Student loans now make up the largest sector of non-housing debt in the U.S. In 2017, the average student borrower at a four-year private college graduated with $32,600 in debt, and those attending public colleges left with an average debt of $26,900. But some schools do a better job of keeping debt in check than others. Of our best value colleges, these schools' graduates have the lowest average debt.

1. Berea College

For students looking for a college that's light on the wallet, look no further than . At Berea, no student pays tuition. Instead, the small liberal arts school provides a scholarship of more than $100,000 to cover the four-year program. That being said, the school is targeted toward students with demonstrated financial need--the mean family income of first-year students is less than