Next year, tuition and fees at the University of Oregon will climb another 3.7 percent for in-state students and 3.8 percent for nonresidents. For many, this  means taking loans, asking parents for more money or working another job.

Not all students struggle. But for those who do, the work load can be enormous.

Here are stories of three undergraduates living every day with the realities of paying for their own educations – and what that cost has come to mean for them.