AMHERST – Do you know the meaning of these numbers: $85,788, $135,892 and $168,896?

According to Business Insider, “The High Price of Higher Education,” they are, respectively, the staggering costs of an in-state, out-of-state and private college education over four years.

Students today are facing skyrocketing costs associated with attending college. More than 66 percent of college students take out student loans. New Hampshire students typically fall into the highest category of postcollege debt, averaging $27,000-$32,000 to be paid back.

Even our state schools are among the most expensive in the country. For many parents, these amounts are more than they paid for their homes.

The Souhegan Scholarship Foundation offers a solution – but it needs your help.

The nonprofit organization serves the college-bound students of the Souhegan Valley. Since 2004, the foundation has given more than $105,000 in scholarships to students in Amherst and Mont Vernon enrolled in all area schools, both public and private, and to home-schoolers. Donations are tax-deductible.

PayPal donations are accepted at at www.souheganscholarship
foundation.org, or they may be mailed to Souhegan Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 323, Amherst, NH 03031.

For more information about the tax ID number, scholarship applications, deadlines and more, visit the website.