New Hampshire once again tops the list of states in the amount of debt owed by students attending its schools, according to a study conducted by The Institute for College Access & Success.
For the seven years the California-based organization has done the study, the Granite State has led the nation, according to Matthew Reed, the institute’s program director.
Students who graduated from New Hampshire colleges in 2011 owed an average of $32,450 in loans. Massachusetts ranked 14th on the list at $27,181, while the nationwide average was $26,600, Reed said.
“The average student debt keeps going up about 5 percent a year,” Reed said.
The unemployment rate for 2011 college graduates is 8.8 percent, according to the institute’s study.
States at the bottom end of the 50-state list are Hawaii $17,450 and Utah $17,250. The national average is $26,600.
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Details for this story were provided by The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover, Mass.
