QC students struggle with financial aid - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

QC students struggle with financial aid

By Natalie Zarowny
nzarowny@cbs4qc.com

It's often said a good education is priceless.

But that's not exactly realistic, when the average cost of going to college rises every year.

"Everybody should get an education," said Will Olvera, a sophomore at Black Hawk College. 

Will came to Black Hawk College with his mom to get help filling out their FAFSA form, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

They've done this before, but this time, Will's plans for next year are a little different.

"I plan on transferring to Western Illinois University," said Will.

Because of expenses, Will started out by going to community college at Black Hawk.

"I wanted to originally move out and go somewhere in Chicago but it's too expensive, so I decided to stay here and live with my parents," said Olvera.

So far, with a job at a restaurant and his parents helping, Will's been able to pay for college.

But when he transfers to Western Illinois University next year, he'll be thinking about grants and loans for the first time.

According to the financial aid director at Black Hawk, story's like Will's aren't unique.

"I see more students taking out student loans though, then in the old days, it's expensive now, it's more expensive than it used to be," said financial aid director Joanna Dye.

The good news is, experts say there are also more financial aid opportunities today than ever.

The biggest one is FAFSA.

Students and parents enter in financial information like income and tax forms.

Depending on the information, you could qualify for a number of federal grants and loans, and even state and school specific loans.

"Definitely applying for anything that you can, any help is definitely necessary," said Dye.

As for Will, he said the fact he has to work so hard for it, makes his education more valuable than it would have if it came easy.

"I don't want to be wasting my money on something that I'm not gonna use down the road," said Will.