I have private loans and some scholarships that I receive. Mainly, I’ve struggled with keeping up with my bills. The only real struggle right now is my car insurance. It goes up as I get older, as a man. My scholarships cover textbook costs, although sometimes I have to spend extra to get online software. So, I have to pay out of pocket for that — usually like $40.

When I was in community college, my car broke down on my way to school and I had to pay $6,000 out of pocket to get my transmission fixed. It kind of broke me. It just stressed me out all the time because I had to work so hard to afford that while going to school.

I’ve paid for college through a combination of loans, both public and private, tuition assistance, and money out of pocket.  The first three years of school I really struggled. I’d been living on my own since I was 17, and had little to no help with bills and regular living expenses. Starting college made everything 100 times harder. My father has substance abuse problems and been in and out of rehab for the past ten years so although he makes money on paper, my family doesn’t see any of it. Because of this, I couldn’t qualify for TAP. I work part time throughout the year and full time over the summers, and I put every penny towards paying for off campus housing.

I paid for tuition, books, transportation, and food with loans that I took out. In the past, I’ve even had to take out private loans, because financial aid alone didn’t cover my needs. In the last year however, my mother was finally able to claim me on her taxes, so I got the tuition assistance that I really needed all along. Even though my aid doesn’t cover everything, it is such a big help to not to pay for everything out of pocket and through loans. I can finally focus on my coursework and extracurricular activities. I could only imagine how different college would have been for me if I had had this assistance throughout.

Coming from a family of six children, my parents, unsurprisingly, can’t afford to pay much for my college education. Each summer I work over eighty hours a week to make enough money to pay my university bills and cover the cost of living. I have worked in restaurant kitchens, ice cream stores, and outdoors as a canvasser. Of course the demanding hours and high energy these jobs require leaves little time for summer leisure– but one of the biggest challenges it presents is an inability to apply for internships, many of which are unpaid. Being unable to gain work experience in my area of study creates a whole new path of challenges by itself. Jobs today require more experience than many educated people like myself have the time for. I worry that I will be unable to find a lucrative job after graduation, or that people who have had the resources to take unpaid internships will be favored for their experiences.

I am a veteran who served in the United States Air Force for 4 years active duty and 1 year Air National Guard for New Jersey. With the completion of my contract, I received funding for education through the 9/11 GI Bill. This bill pays for 48 months of school, including tuition and part of my cost of living.  I pay for my monthly metrocard, New Jersey transit monthly pass, textbooks, food and rent out of pocket.

Because my textbooks are all at least $200 each, I’ve chosen not to buy any of them this semester.  I just go to library.  If I want to do any reading or studying I have to go to the library and can’t take the book home.   As for the rest of these costs, if they were covered I could use the money I make toward investing in my future career instead of just getting by month to month.  I’ve started a record label but I can’t invest in it the way that I want.  This is stalling my career aspirations.  I really want this microphone that Michael Jackson used in all of his records and that one of my favorite rappers, Logic, is using.  But it’s $400 — which is the price of my metrocard and NJ transit monthly tickets combined.  I’m also trying to buy a house, which would be expedited if I didn’t have all of these costs.

I pay for my tuition entirely out of pocket with no financial support from my family. I was forced to drop out of my four year public college because my family fell on hard financial times and TAP didn’t cover enough of my outstanding tuition costs. I worked for four years in order to afford to send myself back to school.

Even now, I am constantly at risk of having to leave school again because of financial reasons. I’ve had to choose between buying textbooks and buying groceries, and I’ve frequently gone hungry in order to make timely payments towards my education. Because of my independent status and other factors, I don’t qualify for any financial aid, state or federal. I will be transferring to a four year public college next semester, but without financial assistance from the state, my future at that school is uncertain.

I am a resident of Brooklyn, NY and go to the Pratt Institute of Art and Design. My family is unable to afford higher education by itself. Pratt has one of the highest college tuition rates and although it is a private school its students do get help from special programs such as the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). Without this program, it would be impossible for me and for many other people to afford higher education. Currently I have two part time jobs, which interfere with my schooling.

I am also worried about my future financially when I get out of college. It is hard to focus on schoolwork when finances are an issue, and it is especially hard knowing your parents back home are struggling to secure a future for their child.  Funding for education is funding for the future, and I don’t think any person should have to struggle and worry about their future. I do not want others to worry and struggle like my family does.  If New York does not fund higher education, they are endangering the future for everyone. Education should be given to anyone who has the desire to learn, regardless of their ability to pay.   Please, set an example for the rest of the country and the world by funding higher education.

My name is Carola and I’m a foreign student studying at Pratt from Australia. Being thousands of kilometers away means that I have to sustain myself here.  College affordability for me means having enough money to be flexible and make the most of my experience living in New York. Most importantly this means being able to deal with unexpected expenses such as losing an important item, getting sick or taking a cab home when it does not feel safe to catch the public transport. With the cost of art supplies, textbooks and the basic cost of living so high it can feel like you have very little flexibility and even the smaller expenses can easily lead to a lot of anxiety about being able to make ends meet.

I’m currently a senior attending Queens College full-time. I’m currently working toward my second degree on the pre-law track. My first degree was from Hofstra University in Biology.  I work and study very hard to maintain my good grades and recently it’s becoming more and more difficult.

Because I don’t receive any financial aid, I have to work to pay my tuition out of pocket. I work 60+ hours every week as a medical technician to be able to pay my tuition and purchase necessary textbooks for classes that cost anywhere from $500-$1,000. If the state removes the tuition freeze and encourages CUNY to increase tuition to cover costs, instead of providing adequate state funding, it will only make it more difficult for me to pay for my education. I do not want another tuition hike, and am looking forward to the day when CUNY is once again affordable.

I come from a middle class background in a family of 9 so I never expected to get any financial assistance from my parents. I also never expected to receive financial aid from the government because of my father’s income. I knew college would mean debt and I’ve accepted that. However, I don’t think it’s something that I should have had to accept or that future generations should accept. I work two part time jobs along with an 18-credit schedule and an internship. I am also a part of a resident planning committee for my dorms.

I don’t regret all the hard work I do because I know it’s making me a better person every day.  But, I do not like that on top of all that I do, I still have to worry about finding several thousands of dollars in order to continue making contributions to my college and the surrounding community. I have wanted to attend college since I was a little kid, in my mind it represented the first step towards achieving the American dream. However as time went on and I woke up to the reality of America’s true nature, I have come to terms with the fact that I’m going to have to work as hard as I physically and mentally can just to achieve stability.  My legislators owe it not only me but to the honor of their office to make sure the financial burden of college becomes a thing of the past.

For this year, my family and I paid about $1,684 out of pocket and the rest was covered by loans which are about $20,000-$21,000 for the 2016-2017 school year.  I haven’t gotten much financial aid so I’ve had to take out private loans to cover the rest.  My parents cover the cost of textbooks and my grandpa sends me $100 each month to help with transit and food.  After I graduate I’ll probably be in debt for many years, sadly.

I don’t have a job because I wanted to adjust to college for my freshman year.  But some people have to balance a job and classes. I feel sorry for their mental health because they seem to struggle at times.  Getting a college degree, to me, is such a huge accomplishment. I think it’s important to be able to further your education beyond high school.  I’m currently undecided, but I’m looking forward to finding a major that fits me perfectly and having a career that I’ll enjoy.  The financial burden of college is constantly on my mind. It’s going to be a huge financial burden for me for years and years, and with an uncertain job market in the future, who knows what will happen.