Monday, September 12, 2011

Student debt on the rise, GV scholarships increase

GVL / Rane Martin
ALLENDALE, Mich. -- For Grand Valley State University junior Jon Garcia, money is a constant source of concern.

Garcia, an English and secondary education major, currently carries $30,000 in student loan debt with at least two years left before he graduates. Each year, he takes out the maximum amount in Stafford loans while his parents help him pay for the remainder. 

“I am poor,” Garcia said of the impact of his student loans. “I’ve never been rolling in money or anything, but now I have negative money. … I’m pretty bad.”

Even paying rent poses a monthly challenge for Garcia, 20, who sometimes gets assistance from his family when funds run low.

Garcia is just one of many students who face significant financial barriers when paying for school. The cost of college has skyrocketed across the state in recent years, leaving today’s college students struggling to make their educational ends meet.

According to data from the Project on Student Debt, Grand Valley State University graduates in 2009 left school with an average debt of more than $24,000, slightly below the state-wide average of $25,458. That year, 70 percent of GVSU graduates carried some student loan debt with them into their professional lives.

Read the full article at www.lanthorn.com.

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