Utah graduates carry less student debt than those in any other state, according to a national survey released Sept. 21.

WalletHub's "States with the Most Student Debt in 2026" ranked Utah No. 51 out of 51, as first reported by the Deseret News. The survey compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across a dozen measures of student-loan indebtedness.

The bottom slot means the least debt. For families in the Canyons and Granite school districts weighing college costs, the data points to several factors working in students' favor.

One is financial literacy education. Every Utah high school student, including those at Brighton, Skyline and Olympus, must pass a General Financial Literacy course before graduating.

Utah was the first state to mandate that requirement, beginning with the class of 2008, according to Finance in the Classroom, a program of the Utah State Board of Education. The half-credit course, taken by juniors and seniors, covers financial planning, money management, saving and investing, according to the Utah State Board of Education. Students also take a standardized personal finance test, the Deseret News reported.

Low tuition is another factor. Utah ranked No. 5 nationally for the lowest average tuition and fees at public four-year institutions in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, according to the Deseret News. In-state tuition at the University of Utah runs $10,480 for the 2026–2027 year.

The Utah Board of Higher Education approved a 2.82% systemwide tuition increase for the current academic year, according to the Deseret News. When the board approved those increases in March, Chair Amanda Covington said the approvals reflected "our ongoing focus on keeping higher education affordable across the system …"

Church-sponsored schools push costs even lower. Ensign College charges members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints $2,124 per semester. Brigham Young University offers similarly subsidized rates.

"College keeps getting progressively more expensive, and so does borrowing money to attend," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. "Federal student loan interest rates recently hit a 12-year high and remain elevated."

Nationally, outstanding student loan balances exceeded $1.72 trillion as of the second quarter of 2026. That tops $40,000 per borrower across 42.6 million Americans, according to U.S. Department of Education data cited by WalletHub. Mississippi ranked worst, with average borrower debt exceeding 54% of the state's median income.

Utah also ranked near the bottom nationally in student debt as a percentage of income and in the share of loans past due or in default, the Deseret News reported.

The state board is accepting public comment on a draft revision of its General Financial Literacy standards through Oct. 2 at schools.utah.gov.