PORTLAND — Maine continues to have one of the highest undergraduate student loan burdens in the country.

The Portland Press Herald reports graduating seniors from Maine’s public and private nonprofit colleges in 2013 averaged $29,900 in debt. The national average was $28,400. The Project on Student Debt says Maine’s figure is seventh in the nation. Maine also ranked seventh in 2012.

The average student loan debt varies from less than $2,500 to more than $71,000. High-debt states tend to be located in the Northeast and Midwest while lower-debt states are mostly in the western and southern part of the country.

University of Maine graduates had an average student loan debt of $34,389.