STEVE MALONE/NEWS-PRESS UCSB student Hillary Laurie visits the college's financial aid office.

College planner Linda Taylor sees it over and over. College costs are going up, by nearly 10 percent at public universities nationwide last year, and slightly less at private schools.

But her clients aren't earning extra money to make up the difference.

In fact, many parents don't even bother to save for their children's education after high school, she finds. Instead, they hope for help in the form of grants or scholarships -- and often have to take out large loans if their child doesn't qualify for need-based financial aid.

But as the projected cost of college continues to go up -- just last month, the UC system announced an additional $135-per-quarter fee to help deal with state budget cutbacks, and more, a $795 increase is a possibility for next year -- families and students are having to make some tough decisions about where, when and how they go to college.

Most of Ms. Taylor's student clients will have $18,000 in debt by graduation and their parents will rack up $60,000, assuming the student finishes school in four years. If they want to avoid going in the red, parents say, their children may not end up at their private four-year dream school, but at the nearest state school.

"There is no way under the sun that my kids could afford to pay their way through a four-year college today, and not come out in great debt to the college," said Marilyn Macy, the mother of two daughters currently attending University of California campuses.

There are alternatives to federal loans
 
By LEAH ETLING
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Federal college loans have been the No. 1 way students pay for college since they became widely available about 30 years ago.

But there are other options, including one financing method in which students pay a fixed percentage of their post-college income for a predetermined amount of years to repay their debt.

Currently, there is just one major provider of what is called a "human capital contract," a network of investors called MyRichUncle. The name sounds humorous, but it's actually an apt discussion of what the group does.

It works like this: A student who exhausts other means of funding, including grants, scholarships and government-subsidized loans, can go to MyRichUncle for a loan of whatever remaining money he needs for college.

An investment for the future
 
Tutors share strategies forgetting into college - and paying for it
 
By LEAH ETLING
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

STEVE MALONE/NEWS-PRESS UCSB student Adrienne Arguijo, center, tells students she tutors at Goleta Valley Junior High that continuing education is indeed a reality.

In eighth grade, Adrienne Arguijo wasn't thinking about where she'd go to college, or how she'd pay for it, but the students she tutors at Goleta Valley Junior High are different.

"A lot of them express concern for how they're going to finance their education, and worry because they don't know if they can afford (college)," the UCSB student said. Ms. Arguijo, a first generation college student, tells them that continuing their education can become a reality.

By working two jobs, obtaining scholarships and grants, and with help from her parents, Ms. Arguijo, 20, made it through the first two years of college without having to borrow money. This year, the junior English major took out her first student loan, but sees the note as an investment in her future.

She tries to tell the students she works with that they can finance college, too. It's a message she might share with anyone, but as part of the Cal-SOAP (Student Opportunity and Achievement Program) tutoring program, which tries to get at-risk students on the college track early, it's her job.

"I let them know that it can be a struggle at times, but try to stay motivated, and there are so many options out there to get you to college," she said. Four days a week, at Goleta Valley Junior High, she works as a classroom tutor for English-as-a-second language students, and also helps out with an after-school homework program.

Students finding it harder to graduate without debts to pay
 
By LEAH ETLING
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Elizabeth Werhane remembers well her undergraduate days at UCSB.

There were classes to attend, work at the school newspaper, and friends to go shopping or see a movie with on a Friday night.

It seemed like the perfect college life, enriching without being overly burdensome, until a final financial aid counseling session that would change Miss Werhane's perspective forever.

A few days before graduation, she learned just how much she was in debt.

Sky-high and climbing
 
3 roommates, 3 approaches
 
By LEAH ETLING
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

STEVE MALONE/NEWS-PRESS Molly Davis, right, plans to attend medical school after UCSB and expects to accumulate debt for both undergraduate and graduate studies. Her roommates, Shannon Carpenter, left, and Colleen Callanan are also dealing with education expenses.

Molly Davis' parents are taking out loans themselves and so is their daughter so she can study biology and math at UCSB.

Shannon Carpenter's mom and dad are proud of her, the first in the family to go to college, but can't afford to help her with school, so she'll owe tens of thousands after completing her degree.

Colleen Callanan's parents are divorced, but each contributes cash to a college payment account monthly so all of her UCSB expenses will be paid.

Three roommates, three financial aid stories.

The University of California campus with the beachfront real estate and reputation for wealthy students is, in fact, typical of many universities in that the majority of its students will graduate with debt. What's remarkable is the variety of ways they find to finance their studies and living expenses.

Think college is expensive now? Just wait until 2019
 
By LEAH ETLING
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

It's never too soon to start planning for your children's college education. Even if they're not yet born.

Financial planning experts say it may not be long before students preparing for college or about to start their undergraduate studies will need to begin thinking about tuition, books, and room and board - not for themselves, but for their pregeny.

"I don't worry about how much it will cost for my children to go to college, because I've already factored the high cost into my decision about how many children I will have," said Kyle Abello, 22, who graduated from UC San Diego last June.

Mr. Abello is ahead of most of his peers, who rarely think about college costs for any children they might have, according to financial planners.

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