How much borrowers pay to attend the top public universities in the US- and how much they earn later on

A college education is a huge investment of both time and money - so it's helpful to know which schools and programs are worth it.

With that in mind, Nitro, an online resource that helps incoming college students plan their education financing, examined median student-loan debt and median earnings 10 years after graduation at the top 20 public colleges and universities in the US, as ranked by US News and World Report.

The Nitro study used data from the US Department of Education (ED) to show the relationship between future earnings and the loans students took out to finance their degrees.

The median student debt at the University of California, Berkeley, for example, is $14,200, and median earnings 10 years after graduation are $60,800. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, median student debt is $24,250 and median earnings 10 years after graduation are $74,500.

The ED has data for federal loans only, so private loans are not part of this analysis. Median student debt as part of this study, therefore, is reflective of people who went to the federal government to take out loans, which means students who received financial aid from their college, or those who paid full-price for tuition without taking out loans, are not included in the analysis.

Take a look below to see how much money people are borrowing - and earning - at the top public schools in the US: