Due to the rising price of a college education, some South students are choosing their college based on price rather than their dreams.

According to a 2014 report by the Department of Education, New Hampshire is No. 2 in the nation in student loan debt and highest public university tuition. Graduates of New Hampshire’s public colleges owe more than the national average. These figures leave many students worrying about finances.

"I am going to be in debt for the rest of my life and probably until I die," said Nashua High School South senior Caroline Ferris.

The "sticker shock" of seeing a university’s tuition, as NHSS guidance counselor Jennifer Brox calls it, is shaping students’ college decisions. "Community college might not be what (students) want but ends up being what has to happen," Brox said.

Although universities give out financial aid, students are unsure about the process. When seniors in NHSS environmental science teacher Kelly Holmes‘ E-block class were asked if they wanted to receive financial aid, students replied with a resounding "yes." When asked if they knew how to get it, many were unsure. South students can access information about financial aid through Naviance, a Web-based database and aggregator of college information that students can also use to apply to colleges. Students say guidance counselors often refer students to Naviance in lieu of answering questions directly.

"My sister went through (the process of getting financial aid). No one (from South) made it easy," said NHSS junior Alyssa Gillin when asked what she knew about applying for financial aid.

Brox credits this lack of knowledge to students’ lack of initiative. "The process itself is fairly easy," she said. "You just have to sit and do it, and that’s sometimes what people don’t want to do."

Even students with the initiative to apply for financial aid often end up in debt. The students who get financial aid still have to pay many expenses throughout college. Many students, like 2013 South graduate Nathan Parker, get little to no help from their parents with paying these costs. Parker, a student at Laconia Community College, has $4,600 per year to pay out of pocket and has a GSL loan of $5,500 a year. After transferring to Laconia, Parker was left with $10,000 in student debt to pay off by himself.

"It is hard to pay off college because if I have school, I cannot work, which means I can’t keep paying off my student loan," Parker said.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science sophomore Ashlee Durand has also faced struggles paying for college. Durand’s parents have helped her pay by co-signing her loans and setting up a savings account.

"Right out of high school I applied to schools that my parents thought were too expensive," Durand said.

Durand had to take a year off to talk with her parents and figure out what school would work best with their budget. "Money was ultimately the deciding factor for me," she said.

Scholarships are available, but many students do not apply. The amounts are often small, students said, and colleges may deduct the scholarship from their overall assistance grant. Students said they have a hard time finding information about scholarships. Others aren’t interested in writing another essay.

National college-cost averages range from $9,139 a year for in-state tuition to $31,231 for a year at a private university. Room and board can cost up to $12,400 alone, according to Becker College in Worcester, Mass. For the University of New Hampshire, the cost for the preferred food plan and housing is $11,820 for the year.

"We have to make education more affordable for our students," said U.S Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in May 2014. So far, New Hampshire has not seen any major changes in legislation to address this crisis.

Katie Parker and Emma Fenlon are seniors at Nashua South.