Money is a problem for many college student. Every year, student drop out because they simply can't afford to continue. Tuition costs are rising fast at many colleges, and these fees for classes are not the only expense that students have. These are also costs for housing ( if the student lives away from home ), book, food, transportation, clothes, and entertainment. The solution to the challenge of paying for a college education has several components. It begins in the year before starting college. If possible, students need to choose a college that's more affordable, even if it isn't their first choice. Then they should explore the possibilities at the Financial Aid Office. Are there scholarships? Are there student loans with a low rate of interest? Students might need to get a job - on campus or off - and take fewer classes, even if it means graduating later than they would like; this is often preferable to having huge debt after graduation. One last component to dealing with the challenge of money is to avoid credit cards. They are too easy to use, and they get too many students into troublesome debt.