KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– Graduates of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville finish college with less debt than students at all but four national universities, based on a survey by U.S. News and World Report.
U.S. News, in its annual “Best Colleges” issue, says 39 percent of UT-Knoxville students graduate with debt averaging $6,325.
Only students at the College of William and Mary, Texas Southern University, University of Hawaii and Florida International University owe less money on graduation.
Among institutions whose students graduate with the most debt are Florida State University, 74 percent averaging $20,019; University of Alabama, 40 percent averaging $18,439; and University of South Carolina-Columbia, 60 percent averaging $18,000, U.S. News says.
William and Mary students have the lowest debt, 45 percent averaging $1,550, U.S. News reports.
The debt survey is based on loans students have taken out from colleges, financial institutions and federal, state and local governments, the magazine says. It did not include loans taken out in parents’ names.
The “Best Colleges” issue is scheduled to be on newsstands Aug. 25.
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