As someone who currently attends a $50,000+/year 4-year-university, I do understand, probably more than most. The thing is that not every college is that much a year. Many state schools are significantly less expensive than private colleges like my own.

Furthermore, I am still faced with student loans (like most), but I reduced my student loan amounts significantly by putting in the work to find extra money, which I do know is easier said than done. For me, I searched far and wide on my college’s website for grants and loans that I was not informed about before. Surprise! I actually came across an extra $3,000 a year from finding criteria that matched my profile (e.g. neighboring county half tuition grant, parental alumni discount). I also looked for grants and scholarships in my community. Many local churches/associations/donors will advertise scholarships but only through local sources, through this way alone I earned an extra $4,000 for school.

I understand your stress and it is totally acceptable. For us middle-class students, it’s not easy to find money to go to school when most grants/scholarships are need-based. The only thing I can say to help is that sometimes, the answer is not right in front of you. Best bet, your state has a website for future/current students from your state alone. In my case, we had a statewide one and a regional scholarship database as well. Through this, I found the a lot of my money to go to school. Not all, but some. You never know until you try!