Something to think about HOMELESS COLLEGE STUDENTS

Community Colleges were introduced to make the transition to higher education easier by lowering tuition. While community college tuition may be lower, students can find the costs of attending less affordable than four-year colleges. That’s because the actual total cost of attendance also includes housing, food, transportation, books and personal items—just as it does for four-year college students. But unlike many four-year institutions, most community colleges don’t have dorms on campus, so students must live off campus where rents can be much higher than on campus options.

Moreover, there are fewer grants made to community college students, and those they get rarely cover the full difference between costs and ability to pay; as a result, students must rely on loans as a supplementary form of assistance. Federal and state student loans, however, which typically offer lower interest rates and better repayment options than private loans, are often capped at only the cost of tuition for community college students.

This does not alleviate the crisis for homeless students, and they need some extra help. Hopefully the grants offered by the state will make a difference soon.