As many know, the overall cost of college has skyrocketed in the last two decades. The average cost of tuition, room and board in the U.S. is now over $16,000, compared to less than $6,000 in the 1980s. USA Today reported, “The weight of debt is forcing many to put off saving for retirement, getting married, buying homes, and putting aside money for their own children’s educations.” Student loan debts have increased 50% in the last decade, according to the Project on Student Debt, and the state of Ohio is ranked 49th in college affordability.

Although these figures seem overwhelming and discouraging to high school students and parents alike, there are numerous options available to lessen the weight of paying for college.

One of the first things parents need to fill out is a FAFSA form. FAFSA is a Free Application for Student Federal Aid, and it helps the government determine how much of your college costs your family will be able to pay, and how much assistance you need. “Surprisingly, the assistance is more than what we think it should be,” said Mrs. Loushin, Steele counselor. When prospective colleges look at a student’s FAFSA form, they determine how much assistance they can give.

If you apply for a student loan and are planning on going into a health profession, the National Health Service Corps may pay off a portion or even all of your student loans if you work in low-income communities for a certain amount of time.

Loan forgiveness is not limited to health professionals. Teachers, lawyers, and Peace Corps volunteers who work in areas of financial need can cancel partial loan debts, too.

To save some money before going to college, high school students may consider taking one or two Post-Secondary Education Option B (PSEO) courses at Steele or LCCC. The courses are free, and the credit for each class usually transfers to most colleges and universities, saving anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to over $1000 per credit.

Steele offers a college English class and a college social studies class. The English class is actually two college courses in one semester, so when you get to college it eliminates six English credits, the equivalent of two English courses. However, some schools do not accept PSEO credits, so when considering a school, see if they allow credit transfers.

The BGSU Office of Financial Aid suggested a federal work-study to lessen the severity of college costs.

The U.S. Department of Education defines work-study as a program that “provides jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to each student’s course of study.”

Students would have a job, either on campus or off, and be paid at least the federal minimum wage by either the college/university or the student’s employer, depending on where they work. If the job is off-campus, “the employer will most likely be a nonprofit organization and the job performed will be in the public interest,” according to the Department website.

Mrs. Loushin said that although most people do not realize it, financial assistance is usually in the form of loans. “If money is tight, then they need as much assistance as they can get. Most people think they don’t need to pay back the money but most aid is a loan,” she said.

If a student does not qualify for financial aid, his or her parents can apply for a PLUS Loan, which is credit-based not need-based, so any parent can apply. A PLUS Loan would enable parents and legal guardians the option of borrowing up the cost of their college student’s education.

Although loans make paying for college easier, they still need to be paid back, and can be exclusive to families with certain financial needs. Grants and scholarships, however, are awarded to students for any number of reasons, including academic excellence, talent in sports or the arts, ethnicity, and even being left-handed! Collegeboard.com has a scholarship search engine that will match students to scholarships they qualify for. The questionnaire is located in Collegeboard.com >For students >Pay For College (Green tab on right side of screen) >Scholarship Search. The database contains over 2,300 sources of college funding, and almost $3 billion in available aid, said the website.

No doubt, college can seem scary at times, and the rising costs may leave you feeling dazed. But by taking advantage of the multitude of options available, you can enjoy the process of becoming a college student.