Students are using credit cards less and have a smaller debt–an average of $452-when they graduate, according to a recent study reported in The Press Enterprise, a southern California newspaper.

Citing the Student Monitor, which publishes an annual study of college students, those “owing thousands on their credit cards are becoming the exception.” The study found that the percentage of students with credit cards declined from 56% in 1997 to 35% in 2008. At the same time, the percent of students with debit cards, after rising from 30% to about 70% in 2006, dropped to about 60% this year.

One other point from the study: students usually have their credit cards before they arrive on campus.

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