Throughout my college career, I have received financial assistance through the Pell grant and the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). The assistance was a huge help for me because without it, I would not have been able to go to college. My father is the only person who works full time in my family. He barely makes enough money to pay for all the expenses of providing for a five-member family. I attended college full time while working part time to help take some of the burden off his shoulder, and at the same time pay for my own expenses such as books, metrocards, and food. However, work would sometimes get in the way of my studies. There were many times when I had to choose between studying for an important exam and going to work because I needed the money. While the assistance of Pell grant and TAP has been extremely helpful, I still struggle financially.

I realized, although too late, that there were other programs offered in college to help students with their everyday expenses; programs like ASAP and SEEK.  I wasn’t informed about these programs in high school or in my first semester of college. When I learned about them and went to the financial aid office in my second semester of college, I was told it was too late for me to be eligible for the programs. If I had the assistance that educational opportunity programs provide, I could focus more on my studies and less on working to pay for expenses. This would have made a huge difference in my academic life.

I pay for the majority of my tuition through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and I have to pay out of pocket for the rest of my tuition and other costs which these programs don’t cover. In addition, since TAP takes an excessively long time to process for me, I  sometimes have to pay, on average, about  $1,500, up front.  This is to ensure that my classes do not get dropped in the beginning of the semester. Some semesters my classes do get dropped, without my knowledge, or any warning that there was a standing balance.  This is a huge problem, because due to limited class availability, seats fill up in classes very quickly.

I always expect TAP to not process properly for me, so I work during the summer to try to avoid this. Because I have to work long hours to make money in the summer, I lose the opportunity  to pursue internships related to my career goals.  My only  challenge should be learning new material, not dealing with all the hassles of getting into classes. Not to mention,  high tuition is not the only challenging cost that I am faced with. Books, transportation, and food are also costly and finding money for these expenses is equally difficult. This strain is not only taking a toll on my finances, but also on my health. The panic of finding out that my classes are dropped, that it might be too late to re-register, being forced to take a semester off, and struggling to afford all of these costs, has taken a toll on my mind and body. 

The recent divestment in CUNY and SUNY funding has affected me in many different ways.  I work in order to pay for the entire tuition out of my own pocket.  The job I work provides me with just enough to pay my tuition fees while leaving me with less to save for the future. I sometimes completely opt out of buying the textbook of a class in order to save the hundreds of dollars they can cost.  I instead have to spend time in the library waiting for the textbook to be available and then rent it out to do my studying and homework.  

This, along with working the same days I have class, is very exhausting and negatively affects my state of mind and how much I get out of my classes.  The job I have has nothing to do with what I want my future career to be.  I would love to be in a position where I can become an intern and gain valuable work experience in the field of my major. I hope that one day everyone can have the ability to become an intern in a field of their choosing.

I use financial aid to pay my tuition in college. I qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). However, the TAP award is too low.  It should be more.   I have to buy books, food, and pay for transportation costs and housing.

This semester, my textbooks cost almost $300 and  my metrocard costs $120 per month. Because I am a full-time student in college, it is not possible to work.  I hope I am going to graduate on time so that I do not run out of TAP money.

As an Environmental Studies major, I’m happy to have the experience of pursuing my passion and learning about what I love. Paying for college is my biggest hassle. My parents “make too much” for me to be able to get financial aid so I’ve been forced to take out private and unsubsidized loans to pay my tuition. Because of the ridiculous interest rates of the private loans, I watch my balance increase every month. With each increase, I wonder how I will be able to pay these loans off and how long it will take me. As someone who wants to pursue a graduate degree, I also wonder if my current debt will affect my ability to do so and how I will pay for it. I had to take a semester off 2 years ago because of a hold on my account due to unpaid fees that I was not able to resolve in time.

Like many other students, I’ve had to get a job on campus to earn money to pay for tuition, textbooks, a monthly metrocard, buy food, and pay bills. Despite what FAFSA has determined about my family’s financial standing, depending on them to provide me with money for all these expenses is not possible, especially considering the fact that I’m one of two children currently in college. While I feel that learning to manage time is an important skill to have in college, I don’t believe that struggling to stay financially afloat is a struggle that college students should have to face. I hope to see a change in what is considered low-income and a greater and more comprehensive approach to helping students pay for education as it should be a right and not a privilege.

I am currently relying on my parents’ income to support me, but to be honest, a lower-middle class family supporting two children in college is hard. So I am forced to work in order to pay for school.

My schedule is so tight because I must work until 12 or 1 AM for a restaurant and still take a full-time course load to qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).  I am also paying for my own textbooks. As a student who majoring in biology, textbooks are a major burden on my wallet.   I am also paying for my own transportation.

I pay for school personally. I actually get short term loans to try to help my credit.  So there’s interest, which is currently at 11%, that I’m paying through VISA, and this is at a monthly rate.  I take out over $5000 a year, and I pay that off monthly.

I work anywhere from 32-42 hours a week. I drive back and forth and my money is going to gas. I’m paying for textbooks on top of paying for loans. I also pay rent, and my cellphone bill.  In order for me to have a car, because we just can’t afford cars like that, I had to take out another loan and buy a car, a used car and I pay that off monthly too. Everything just kind of adds up to a point where I’m literally just working check to check at this point.

As a senior in high school, I did not think college would ever be in my grasp. Most of my family did not go to college so I thought I would not either. I was unsure how I would pay for my higher education.  Thankfully, my high school had a terrific career program that provided the necessary tools to make my college dreams a possibility.  I applied to SUNY Cortland through their Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and was admitted. I am grateful to have come across this program. They helped me prepare for college socially and economically, as well as help me prepare in terms of academics.  I receive financial aid in order to help pay for school, however a majority of the additional costs are placed on my shoulders. Aside for paying for tuition, I front the cost of other expenses such as food, social activities, toiletries, textbooks and other school supplies. The list can go on forever, As an off-campus resident, I must also pay rent. I am taking eighteen credits and also working two jobs to help me with the cost of living.

I am studying sociology and professional writing and planning on attending graduate school. I am an aspiring counselor and believe that the investment for a postgraduate degree will increase my chances of employment, and ultimately allow me to pay off loans more efficiently.

I’ve paid for college by working and getting loans because I don’t get any assistance from the government. I take 17 credits and work almost 40 hours per week at a bar. A lot of the times, I work double shifts. This has affected my schooling a lot. I’ve missed school because I was so tired. It has been just depressing, generally.

I’ve never bought textbooks for school, either, and this is my senior year. I would ask my parents to help me out with food costs or bills if I could, but most of the time I’ve covered those expenses by working. All the remaining money is used to cover what my loans don’t cover for tuition.

I’m taking out student loans, and working. My parents covered the first couple of years. This semester, I didn’t buy all of my assigned books for class. It seemed like a good way to save money.

Because I work about 20 hours per week while taking 16 credit semesters, I don’t have a lot of time to do anything but work.