College students who graduated with debt in the United States in 2009 left school with an average of $24,000 in student debt, up 6 percent from 2008, according to a report out today from the Project on Student Debt.
The report followed students from four-year public and not-for-profit colleges and universities.
State averages vary from approximately $13,000 to $30,000, and per-campus averages from $3,000 and $61,500, the report said.
The highest debt was recorded by students graduating in the District of Columbia, where the average debt was $30,033. The lowest was in Utah, at $12,860.
Graduating students in Washington carried an average debt of $19,780, placing the state 40th nationally. Fifty-eight percent of graduating state seniors in the study left school with debt, the report said.
Among state institutions, here’s a look at average debt of 2009 graduates and the proportion of the school’s graduates with debt:
• University of Washington Seattle: $16,800, 50 percent;
• University of Washington Tacoma: $17,900, 58 percent;
• Pacific Lutheran University: $24,639, 72 percent;
• University of Puget Sound: $29,514, 63 percent;
• The Evergreen State College: $14,310; 51 percent;
• St. Martin’s University: $27,807, 79 percent;
• Gonzaga University: $24,883, 70 percent
The report was compiled by the Institute for College Access and Success, an independent, nonprofit organization based in Oakland, Calif. It is supported, according to its website, by organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Ford Foundation.
C.R. Roberts: 253-597-8535 c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com
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