Student loans a worry? 10 states with the lowest student debt

Seven in 10 college seniors who graduated in 2012 took on student loans along the way, to the tune of $29,400 on average, according to a recent study from The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) But debt levels aren’t uniform across the country. Read on for the 10 states with the lowest average student debt levels, according to TICAS. Can you guess which state had the lowest?

1. New Mexico

New Mexico Tourism Department/AP/File
Farolitos, which are candles in paper bags, flickering against the night sky atop Santa Fe’s Inn at Loretto.

Average debt: $17,944

Students with debt: 61 percent

New Mexico’s average student debt in 2012 was by far the lowest, besting No. 2 California by an impressive $2,300 per student. But its place atop the standings comes with a caveat: Only 45 percent of the state’s seniors were included in the data. 

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