Average student loan debt grew to an average of $24,000 per student in the Class of 2009, up 6% over the Class of 2008, according to the latest national report from The Project on Student Debt.
The report is especially worrisome for New England where all six states have higher student debts levels than the national average. New Hampshire had the second highest debt load in the nation behind Washington D.C. by $590. Massachusetts is the closest to the national average.
Here are the results for the six New England states from highest debt to lowest debt.
New Hampshire – $29,443
Maine – $29,143
Vermont – $27,786
Rhode Island – $26,573
Connecticut – $25,038
Massachusetts – $24,484
U.S. Average – $24,000
New England is home to four of the 21 highest-debt public universities and six of the 20 highest-debt private colleges and universities. Williams College is the only New England college among the nation’s 20 lowest-debt schools.
The states with the lowest average student debt are: Utah, Georgia, Nevada, Wyoming and Delaware.
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