Published 2004-12-13T00:00:00Z”/>

Michelle Maas<br>Staff Writer

What do you do when your parents won’t give you money, but you don’t want to work either? The answer is financial aid. Who knew living off the government would be so easy, yet leave you in debt? Many students are now realizing the government can actually help pay for your beer, or at least give you money for it.

Chico State has approximately 9,017 students who receive some sort of financial aid, in the form of grants, loans, work-study or scholarships, said Meredith Kelley, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

“Financial Aid is available to help remove financial barriers for students who want to pursue higher education,” she said.

Kelley said that the lack of money should never discourage anyone from attending college.

But for many students, they often take out too much in loans, causing excessive loan debt, Kelley said.

“This is an area where students need to pay attention,” she said.

To help these students, the Financial Aid Office offers budgeting sessions and debt management tools throughout the semester to help students manage their money, Kelley said.

Whether students work during the summer and save up for the upcoming semester or live at home and bank all their money for school, financial aid may be a supplement for students’ and parents’ incomes.

But most students who receive financial aid have a combination of aid and work-study. Kelley said grant money is gift aid, while loans must be paid back.

The average cumulative loan debt for someone graduating from a four-year university is $16,078, Kelley said.

“Students on financial aid rarely have the option of not working,” she said.

But Kelley said there needs to be a balance between hours spent working and those spent studying. Many times, students unfortunately choose to work longer hours and take less units, causing their graduation time to be delayed.

Financial aid, used with help from parents or money from student jobs, can make going to college a little easier. But, Kelley said, students need to figure out the balance between work and school. She said research shows that students who work on campus actually do better academically and graduate at a higher rate than students who don’t have that connection.

“It would be wonderful if all students could work some while going to school,” she said. “Particularly if there are on-campus opportunities available.” Other stories in the series:

<a href= “http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/12/13/419027e5955d8”> Will work for school</a>

<a href= “http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/12/13/41902d032eb18”> Free-ridin’ off my sugar mama</a>

<a href= “http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/12/13/419031305ba6d”> Part-timer</a>

<a href= “http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/12/13/419033f0be435”> The Combo Platter</a>