Mike Maietta was eating lunch when he got a text message from his mom. "Notre Dame," it said. " _ !" Mike, a senior at a Californian high school, shouted with joy. The big envelope meant that the excellent university in Indiana had offered him a place in its Class of 2013. But the $51,300 annual fee is a big trouble. So Mike and his parents are considering offers from several other colleges and are figuring out the costs of tuition, housing and holiday trips home. This year, money is the driving factor  for a growing number of high school seniors, who have to decide what colleges to attend this fall. Less jobs and house prices have changed family spending. "We're excited that Mike got into eight great schools," said Mike's father, an engineer at Microsoft. "But if you consider going to school out of state, you've got to think about all of the other costs: moving, flying back and forth for the holidays. You're looking at about $3,000 a year, just for travel." As families weigh their choices, some are going back to financial aid offices hoping help packages can be increased. Rachel Brown was happy to get a thick envelope from New York University (NYU). Although she has always wanted to live in Manhattan, she is seriously considering the University of California San Diego (UCSD), because of the high cost in New York. "The tuition for NYU is twice as much as UCSD," said Rachel, 17. "My mom doesn't want me to have a big debt when I graduate, and I don't want that either. I'd have to take out a loan of $15,000. I'll check and see if there's any way that NYU can offer me any financial aid." More than 7.6 million American students have filled out the Free Application for Students Aid, 19.9 percent increase over last year. This month the Federal Department of Education urged college financial aid officers to give more help to certain families. A record 30,428 students applied for 2,300 places at Stanford, partly because the university increased financial aid for families earning below $10,000. What can we learn from the passage?
The number of American senior students applying for financial aid is increasing. Rachel Brown has given up NYU because of its high tuition and big debts. It is inevitably hard for college students to borrow money to cover costs. An interest-free loan for students helps more students apply for Stanford.