As summer continues, most have forgotten the troubles of school, but for others they’re reminded of one thing: college. College is a big commitment, with a big price tag.

Gone are the days that students could pay for college with the help of a summer job and a small student loan. Now, students must look for ways to lower the growing cost of tuition.

“The price has gone up a lot more since I graduated in 2010,” Waubonsee summer school teacher Chris Goryl said.

The skyrocketing college tuition cost first began when state funding was no longer provided, thus leaving those attending to pay for the expenses previously covered by the government. Since then, prices have only gone up.

“For just a degree, just to be able to get a job, it’s [tuition] too much,” Waubonsee Community College student Olivia Wahlgren said.

The average student attending an out-of-state public university will pay up to twenty-three thousand dollars per year in tuition fees alone.

“There are outside costs such as travel, which can get expensive for out-of-state students,” Aurora Central Catholic graduate Gabe Boebel said.

Those attending private colleges will pay up to thirty-one thousand. This, along with other unexpected fees, can leave students struggling to afford schooling.

“The cost I least expected was books. All throughout grade school and high

school books were always provided. In college, you will have to spend several hundred dollars per semester to purchase new books. This is just something that never occurred to me until actually sitting down and budgeting my cost for the school year,” Boebel said.

Not only do students have to  budget their spending for academics, but also living fees.

“The unexpected costs are things that aren’t on the pamphlet, like how much food is going to cost, electricity, TV,” Goryl said.

With all these unexpected fees, like a thousand dollars for books alone, it’s best to look at money-saving options that will make college fees manageable.

“I got people to sponsor me, my dad had a lot of his business friends to sponsor me. They pay me like fifty dollars per month to help me get through,” Wahlgren said.

College sponsors basically donate money to fund a student’s college career. Youcaring.com is a free website that allows students to claim donations from strangers.

“I receive some small grant money from USC and a substantial amount from a military scholarship with the Air Force,” Boebel said.

A great way to pay for college is earning money that doesn’t have to be paid back; such as scholarships.

According to College Planning Services, an estimated forty-six billion dollars was given out in scholarship money by the Department of Education alone. Websites such as Fastweb have scholarship trackers that will show all the scholarships individuals can qualify for. Collegeboard.com is one of the best, helping 7 million students prepare for college each year.

“Books are also super expensive, a lot of people just buy them off ebay,” Wahlgren said. Looking at alternatives such as buying used books is a smart, clever way to avoid high

prices. Many students don’t realize that some simple tips can really go a long way.

“Kids don’t realize how expensive it [college] is,” Goryl said.

An often overlooked money saver is community college, which saves expenses of both tuition and housing fees.

“Community college gives you the best deal, the general education classes are the same,” Goryl said.

About forty-five percent of students spend at least six years earning their bachelor’s degree. Enrolling in a community college for a couple years can lower the cost significantly.

Taking AP courses, while challenging, can take up to a year off college, saving up to twenty-five percent of the original cost.

“Work hard; you’re not going to succeed if you don’t put effort into college, and then the price isn’t worth it,” Goryl said.

College is highly valuable, but often costs more than expected. So plan cautiously and remember that determination will help one to succeed and make college worth the price.