What's the real cost of a college education? -- Page 2

"What we're finding is that because of these financial burdens, students are making choices: going to a two-year college first, working excessive hours or delaying college," Barry says. All of those choices make it more difficult for them to get that diploma.

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One solution that shows promise: public-private partnerships that combine the resources of the federal and state governments along with private organizations to help low-income students. "The idea is really to have all the stakeholders come together," she says.

A couple of examples are the Indiana 21st Century Scholars program, a state-government program to provide scholarships to low-income students, and the Washington State Achievers Program, established by a private foundation to offer mentoring and scholarships to low-income students.

"What's unique is that they both are trying to get to the students early and provide them earlier assurances of adequate grant aid," says Barry.

DC-CAP is privately funded and partners with the local school system and federal and local financial aid programs. With school-based advisers, it offers both college counseling and money.

"We get them prepped and help them pick and get into colleges," says Argelia Rodriguez, the executive director. "We help them find scholarships and give them scholarships as well."

The group gave out $2.6 million in scholarships last school year, she says. And it protects its investment. Counselors stay in touch with students throughout their academic career "to make sure they don't drop out," Rodriguez says.

So what could make it easier?
Everyone has a slightly different take on what in the system needs to be fixed. But many parents agree on one thing: What the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form sees as disposable income and what life allows as disposable income are two entirely different things. Parents enter their income and the cost of the school, and based on that, their expected family contribution is calculated.

"The big picture to me is that there is a real lack of awareness" of how much money it takes, says Wegmann. What she'd like to see on the student financial aid form is something more like a mortgage application that looks at a family's total picture, not just the bottom-line income. Without something that looks at real life, "there's just too much of a gap" between what you have and what you have to pay, she says.

"What was surprising to us is that we have a good income," says Wegmann.

"To think, 'Oh my God, we can't afford for our kid to go to this school' is kind of scary," she says.

L.D. Ross has seen the situation from two sides. A father of twins who will be college seniors this fall, he is also the senior program manager at DC-CAP. He thinks the government's cost-of-living calculations on the federal financial aid form "may need to be tweaked," he says. "We simply see too many families who cannot afford to pay what the federal government says their expected family contribution is."

He also wants to see parents encouraging any and all talents while their kids are in middle and high school and for families to be more diligent in terms of applying for those outside scholarships. "Whatever their particular skill is, try to find a college that might be looking for someone with that skill and may have some scholarship money," Ross says.

And one thing many parents don't know: "Any financial aid package is negotiable," says Ross. "Try to talk to that financial aid officer and see if you can negotiate with him. The savvy parents, they know that. And the more your child has to offer," he says, the stronger your bargaining position.

Chappin would like to see students get a little more personal attention when it comes to the financial aid questions and quandaries. "Having the information is not enough," she says. "I hate to say you have to hold the hand of the next generation and walk them through the process. But a lot of times, it's that simple."

Barry suspects there are students who aren't attending college because they don't want to shoulder the student loan burden.

And Chappin can understand it. "Who wants to come out of college with $100,000 in student loan debt?"

While she's happy the option is available, she'd like to see more work-study opportunities, perhaps even some that would trade college money for community service.

Says Chappin, "I'll work for my education."

Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.