MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- A study detailing the latest numbers on college student debt is out this week and Tennessee fairs surprising well.
Nationwide, university students graduating with a bachelor’s degree last year had an average student loan burden of $29,400. According to the Project on Student Debt, 7 in 10 college seniors who graduated last year have student loans.
Students graduating from Tennessee schools are in much better shape, owing an average of $21,775, or more than $7600 below the national average. Just 58 percent of the state’s 2012 graduates have a student loan.
Tennessee has two schools on the Project’s list of top 20 low-debt schools, including Kings College in Bristol and Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.
The Project on Student Debt’s Lauren Asher notes that “a college degree remains the best route to finding a job” in a tight market, but encourages students to borrow wisely and avoid commercial loans if possible.