Study: Conn. graduates in hock

In Connecticut, graduates of universities and colleges face among the biggest loan burdens in the nation, according to a new study, with 2011 graduates”™ debt up 5 percent nationally from their 2010 peers.

Connecticut graduates had debt of nearly $27,800 on average, according to the Institute for College Access & Success. For Connecticut schools listing average student debt, Yale University graduates at the lowest loan burdens at under $9,300, while graduates of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield faced the biggest sticker shock at more than $44,500 on average.

New Hampshire was tops in the nation at more than $32,400 in student debt on average, followed by Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Rhode Island. Utah had the lowest student debt in the nation at about $17,200.

The Oakland, Calif.-based institute reported that 64 percent of college students in Connecticut graduate with outstanding loans.