Students walk through the center of campus at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in this file photo.BY THE NUMBERS* 66 percent of college seniors who graduated in 2011 had debt.* The average debt of students is $26,600, a 5 percent increase from the year before.* A fifth of graduates’ debt comes from private loans.* State average debt ranges from $17,250 to $32,450.Source: Institute for College Access and SuccessSTATE BY STATE* 53 percent of Tennessee graduates have debt* 54 percent of North Carolina graduates have debt* 54 percent of Alabama graduates have debt* 58 percent of Georgia graduates have debtSource: Institute for College Access and Success
The amount of debt carried by college students is going down.
Last year, the average debt for a U.S. college student was $26,600, a national survey shows. But while regional college debt mounts with rising tuition costs, students in and around the Tennessee Valley are faring better than elsewhere, according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, the Institute for College Access and Success.
Student debt in Tennessee — $20,703 on average — and North Carolina — $20,800 on average — ranks as some of the lowest in the country, according to the survey. Georgia and Alabama remain in the middle.
Dalton State College was listed as one of 20 schools with an average debt burden under $10,000.