MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Books, room and board, tuition... these are just a few things people have to think about when trying to pay for an education. Michigan State Associate Director of Financial Aid Val Meyers explains why the cost of higher education is rising.

"The cost of everything is going up." she stated.

"I do think it will level off but your always going to have a small rise do to inflation."

On Tuesday February 11th, about a dozen MSU students protested the increase in tuition. Even though students are concerned, they must realize higher education is a people intensive industry. Meaning, they must pay professors and staff in order to function.

"You have to pay your professors, you have to pay those people who are doing that teaching and who are doing that research."

If you're a parent or student looking for alternatives to pay for you education there are steps you can take before you even step foot on campus.

"There is some gift aid based on need, there's some scholarship aid based on merit that the student has to really look for and the family they have to really look for, some of it's from the school but most of the scholarship aid is private."