Families struggle with rising tuition

The economy is declining, corporations are going under, and as unemployment is rising, real estate values are sinking. Meanwhile, college enrollments are on the rise, financial aid requests have become more abundant and tuition is climbing to double-digit increases.

Local families with two, three or more members in college are struggling to keep up with the growing stacks of bills.

Sue Louis, a mother of three in Guilford, who works full time, said she relies mainly on scholarships and loans to pay tuition for two of her children and herself.

Louis, who attends Gateway Community College part-time as a 6th-semester nursing major, and her two children, Matt Louis, 21, a 6th-semester marine science major at the University of Maine, and Emily Louis, 19, a 4th-semester animal science major at the University of Connecticut, have found the recession to be hard on their wallets.

"I'm freaking poor," Matt Louis said. "I pay for my car and everything else I need. The only things I don't pay for are school and rent."

"We've taken many cuts at home," Emily Louis added. "Little things that used to get handed to us aren't anymore."

The siblings each have their own strategy for staying out of the red during the school year, since Sue Louis has placed responsibility on them to acquire personal spending money.

Emily Louis, her mother's "work-a-holic," works at UConn cafés, earning $200 per week for her own pocket and for future tuition bills at her preferred veterinary school, Massey University in New Zealand.

"Ninety percent of it goes toward my car," she said. "I get no help with insurance or gas."

Matt Louis, who does not have a job at school, works all summer at Project Oceanology in Groton, Conn., pocketing $400 per week. After saving through the summer, he "makes it last," at school, spending his money only on bare essentials.

"At home the only thing that's getting paid for is the house and food," Matt said. "Everything else is on your own ticket."

However, his mother said, he is planning to start a marine biology camp for children at the University of Maine this summer, which will be his main source of income.

With money hard to come by, Sue Louis swears by scholarships, recognizing them as major aids in putting the three of them through college.

"Scholarships are everywhere," she advised. "You just have to know where to look."

Emily Louis was awarded one scholarship from Guilford High School, amounting to $1,500, due to her "active involvement" in high school activities, said Sue Louis, while Matt Louis received two, totaling $1,350.

While Emily Louis had the benefit of paying UConn's in-state tuition of $7,200 for the 2008-2009 academic year, Matt's $1,350 did not come close to reducing Maine's out-of-state tuition of $22,652 to an affordable amount.

Instead, his field of study did the work scholarships couldn't.

Since his major was not offered at UConn's Storrs campus, he was eligible for a reciprocal program, paying 1.5 times the rate of UConn's in-state tuition. This cut the tuition bill to about $11,500.

Sue Louis said that she pays about $2,500 to attend Gateway, a $400 cut from its original bill of $2,900, due to a scholarship given to her by the Rotary Club of Guilford.

Although the club gives money primarily to high school students, Louis said a friend in the club suggested that she apply.

"He didn't see why it should only be kids from high school who get the scholarship," she said. "If I'm going to college, and I need it, I should get it."

In addition to scholarships and financial aid, Louis said much of the rest is covered by money from savings accounts. The money that accumulated in the children's' accounts since childhood managed to cover 75 percent of Matt's tuition, 50 percent of Emily's, and 25 percent of the youngest daughter, Molly Louis, who will be a freshman at Guilford High School this fall.

The balance comes from loans. Sue said she refinanced her house so she could afford to pay off the loans with extra money.

To further ease the financial burden, especially with Molly entering college in four years, Sue Louis, currently a receptionist for Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Associates in Guilford, went back to school to become a nurse and better support her family.

As a receptionist, she brings in $20 per hour, and expects to make between $38 and $40 per hour when she becomes a certified nurse.

Louis said that nursing attracted her because it is a "recession-proof profession," her age is not taken into account and she can go anywhere to get a job.

"When people are sick, it doesn't matter what the economy is," She said. "People need to be taken care of."

But, even with everything she has done to pay the bills until now, Sue Louis is still unsure of what the future will bring.

"How I'm going to pay for vet school, I have no idea," she said, shaking her head.