Krystale Slechta works two jobs, receives a Pell grant and still has to take out loans for college expenses.

Many students, including Slechta, are finding that tuition increases are making it harder to pursue a college education. These increases generally cause higher debt at graduation and heavier work loads for students during semesters.

“It’s impossible to make ends meet and frustrating because all my money goes to bills,” said Slechta, junior in child, adult and family services.

One option is grants.

Grants are either awarded from the federal level or the state level. At the state level, Iowa Grants are available for students who attend Iowa State. The maximum grant is $1,000 per year for up to four years of full-time undergraduate study, but the amount can be adjusted for part-time students.

Students are also eligible for federal Pell Grants, with awards ranging from $100 to $4,000.

Roberta Johnson, associate director for financial aid, said more than $13 million in federal Pell Grants were awarded in 2002-2003.

“The Department of Education competes [on a federal level] against the Department of Defense for funding, so funding has been decreasing,” Johnson said.

One concern is that Pell Grants have remained fairly stable while tuition has increased.

“Federal and state student financial aid funding hasn’t met demand,” said Barb Boose, communications specialist for the Board of Regents. “Pell Grants haven’t kept pace with tuition costs.” In 1979, Pell Grants covered 60 percent of tuition costs; this year, they covered only 32 percent.

Claire Masker, senior in animal science, said her Pell Grants have decreased since her freshman year.

“It’s hard to juggle classes, campus involvement and work,” Masker said. “But what I want to do and where I want to end up in life are too important for me not to graduate from college.”

But Pell Grants aren’t the only form of financial aid that is suffering from cutbacks. State-level work-study programs haven’t been funded over the last several years.

Morgan Brubaker, junior in health and human performance, said this was the first year that she had to take out loans.

“I’m hoping to get through medical school so I can pay back my loans,” Brubaker said. “But if I didn’t have my parents to help with costs of living, I wouldn’t be able to be here.”

Though Johnson is concerned about students’ debt load, she said that borrowing money for college can be a good investment.

“Students who attain a bachelor’s degree earn approximately $1 million more over their life, so the return on the investment is huge,” she said. “It’s a greater tragedy to never pursue higher education because they don’t think it’s affordable.”