By: Sophie Wood

Within the past 20 years, there has been a major increase in student loans. College tuition is getting more expensive, and students are left with the burden of having to pay for college years after they graduate. According to a research done by the National Center for Education Statistics, “about 42 percent among those who had borrowed $10,000 or more” still owed money 10 years post-graduation. In fact, the study also notes that the standard repayment plan of federal student loans is 10 years. With the burden of student loan debt growing, college students have been trying to find alternative ways to pay for their tuition without having to take out loans. Three ways students have been paying for their tuition is through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (better known as ROTC), being a “house boy” and working for the University. Through the ROTC, they will pay for a student’s four-year college tuition, and sometimes will even provide money for living expenses. In turn, the student will commit to serving four years of full time in the army. On the other hand, some students turn to working for sorority houses as “house boys.” A house boy cooks and cleans for sorority women in exchange for being paid and fed during shifts. Other students are employed by the University. For example, some students work at the Fresh Market at the EMU or dining halls on campus.