The University of Mary Washington has been recognized once again for having among the nation’s lowest student loan debt and best value.
In a ranking of 1,161 colleges and universities, LendEDU has rated UMW 35th among public colleges and 82nd among colleges overall for the lowest student loan debt per borrower.
Nearly 60 percent of the nation’s college graduates in 2016 graduated with an average debt of $27,975, according to LendEDU, a marketplace resource for student loans.
The average student debt for the Mary Washington graduate in 2016 averaged $19,444, while the average undergraduate student debt per borrower overall in Virginia was $28,731.
“Clearly, the University of Mary Washington is doing a great job at helping students afford their education and attend college with as little debt as possible,” according to Dave Rathmanner, a spokesman for LendEDU, which also ranked UMW graduates with among the nation’s lowest average student debt in 2016.
The organization calculates the average student loan debt per borrower from financial aid data submitted to Peterson’s Guide to Colleges. To view the state-by-state report, please visit https://lendedu.com/blog/student-loan-debt-rankings-school-level-2017/.
In addition, SmartAsset, a data-analysis firm specializing in personal finance, ranked UMW as one the best colleges for the money. The firm recognized Virginia as the No. 1 state for providing college value and listed UMW among the top 10 best value colleges in the state.
For the nationwide study of four-year colleges and universities, SmartAsset evaluated five factors, including tuition, student-living costs, scholarship and grant offerings, retention rate and starting salaries for new graduates.