Average student loan debt $29,569 for Class of 2017 here

Average college student loan debt is creeping up nationally, but is down slightly in Wisconsin, according to a report on the Class of 2017 released this week by LendEDU.

The national student loan debt average for the Class of 2017 was $28,288 — up $313 from the Class of 2016, but slightly below the $28,400 average for the Class of 2015, the third annual Student Loan Debt by School by State Report found. The report uses data collected from the annual Peterson's voluntary financial aid survey to rank over 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide, both public and private.

Wisconsin ranked No. 33 nationally, with a $29,569 average — down slightly (1.18%) from the state's Class of 2016 debt. Sixty-five percent of the Class of 2017 across all Wisconsin colleges and universities left school with loan debt.

Here are five takeaways from Wisconsin:

Three UWs above average debt

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Class of 2017 had the lowest average loan debt among public schools: $22,664 compared with the state average of $29,569. Seventy-two percent of all Class of 2017 grads left UW-Green Bay with debt, compared with the statewide average of 65%. Debt for 2017 grads at other campuses in the UW System: UW-Whitewater ($24,948); UW-Stevens Point ($25,918); UW-Eau Claire ($26,244); UW-La Crosse ($26,768); UW-River Falls ($27,428); UW-Madison ($27,979); UW-Parkside ($28,504); UW-Superior ($30,285); UW-Stout ($30,409) and UW-Milwaukee ($37,131). Data was not included for UW-Oshkosh or UW-Platteville.

MSOE leads student debt

Milwaukee School of Engineering's Class of 2017 had the highest average loan debt among all public and private schools: $38,421. Seventy-six percent of all grads left the private school with debt.

UWM average $10,000 higher than UW-Madison

Among Wisconsin's largest public universities, UW-Madison's average loan debt ($27,979) was $10,000 less than that of the average UW-Milwaukee grad ($37,131). Forty-five percent of UW-Madison's Class of 2017 graduated with debt, while 76% of UWM's Class of 2017 had debt. UWM has a lower graduation rate — meaning it takes students longer on average to graduate, increasing overall cost. UWM also is an open-access institution that accepts most applicants, and it has a higher percentage of low-income students than UW-Madison.

Bible college lowest debt

Among Wisconsin's private colleges, Maranatha Baptist College had the lowest average loan debt — also lowest among all Wisconsin colleges and universities — at $21,432. Marquette University wasn't far behind MSOE on the highest loan debt scale, with an average of $37,713 compared with MSOE's average of $38,421.

9 of 10 Alverno grads have debt

The percentage of Class of 2017 grads among all Wisconsin schools who graduated with debt varied widely, from 45% among UW-Madison grads to 89% of all Alverno College grads. The average loan debt at UW-Madison was $27,979. At Alverno, it was $36,659.