Graduates of Nevada universities and colleges are less likely to be saddled with student loans, according to a new survey. The Institute for College Access and Success ranked the state 48th in a recent study of money owed by 2103 college graduates.
Nevada graduates in the Class of 2013 owed on average $21,666 upon graduation, compared with the national average of $28,400. Graduates in six states averaged more than $30,000, with graduates in New Hampshire with the highest debt load at $32,795.
“Graduates from New Hampshire colleges are almost twice as likely as Nevada graduates to leave school with student loan debt, and they owe almost twice as much as graduates from New Mexico colleges,” said Debbie Cochrane, research director at TICAS and co-author of the report.
Members of the Class of 2103 in New Mexico owned on average $18,656 upon graduation.
“The importance of state policy and investment cannot be overstated when it comes to student debt levels,” Cochrane said.
Among Nevada’s two public universities listed in the report, graduates from the University of Nevada, Reno carried the most debt, with an average of $22,113 upon graduation. University of Nevada, Las Vegas grads finished school with an average debt loan of $21,126. Average debt load figures for Nevada State College, which had 302 graduates last year, were not available.
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Debbie Cochrane, research director, The Institute for College Access and Success.
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