A college education can unlock opportunities, but too much college debt can shackle a student’s future.

And Pennsylvania borrowers are some of the most burdened by student loans in the entire nation, as a new WalletHub analysis of student debt found the state to be the third-most indebted in America.

“Where you live doesn’t just affect the value of your property; it also reflects the worth of your college degree — the same degree that may have put you in debt,” the study explained.

“With 11 percent of all student-loan debts in delinquency or default as of Q1 2017, graduates need to be selective with the places in which they choose to put their degrees to work.”

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Specifically, Pennsylvania was second only to New Hampshire in the sheer average amount of student debt, and it was tied for third-highest proportion of students with debt.

The analysis also looked at contributing economic factors, and the state fared worse than average in every category except student debt as a percentage of income, where it landed right in the middle at 27th.

Pennsylvania’s rank was 11th-highest in its unemployment rate for the 25-to-34-year-old population, 12th-highest in the percentage of student-loan borrowers aged 50-plus, 22nd-highest in the availability of student jobs, and eighth for grant growth.

Read more about student debt in the state on WalletHub here.

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Top photo credit: The Official Ursinus College Page MM Expo 2015 via photopin (license)