A new report finds that Maine college grads have one of the worst rates of student debt in the nation.
Student leaders released the study, done by the Public Interest Research Group or PIRG, on the USM campus in Portland Wednesday. They stood before a huge symbolic ball and chain to make their point.
The PIRG report finds that Maine ranks sixth in the nation for students with debt exceeding manageable levels. It also points out that many college grads simply can't afford to take jobs as teachers or social workers, and still make ends meet.
Student leaders said that roughly half the students at USM carry a debt load of more than 21 thousand dollars and many morowe more than sixty thousand dollars.
