Sharon Oliver, director of financial aid

Twenty years ago if business management freshman Nile Wilmer had gotten a Pell grant he would have had it made.

The grant then would have covered more than 80 percent of his total college expenses. But today — even with his Pell grant — he is spending sleepless nights thinking about how he is going to pay for his educational loans when he graduates.

“I am already accumulating a lot of credit when I am still in school,” he said. “I will have to pay back one day.”

The national average cumulative debt in-curred by students is $19,785.

Based on expected family contributions, Pell grants range from $400 to $4,050 per student per year.

With the cost of obtaining a four-year college degree escalating, and government aid failing to match those costs, many students from low income families are finding it hard to channel all their energy on education.

N.C. Central University Financial Aid and Scholarship Director Sharon Oliver said that even though many students opt for Pell grants, they still have to supplement the grants with loans or assistance from their parents.

“When tuition goes up the amount of money offered in Pell grants does not go up and sometimes the students will have to get other forms of financial aid like scholarships or loans,” Oliver saidOliver said that many factors could prevent students from receiving grants.

“The students fill up the FAFSA forms and they give information on taxes, savings and how many people in the household and the number attending college,” she said

She pointed out that the U.S. Department of Education makes decisions on whether students should receive aid, and how much each student should get.

However, Oliver said that her department often takes flak from students when expectations are not met.

“Students complain about our customer service, but we will only be trying to follow the federal regulations and sometimes when students don’t get what they want they blame us,” she said.

Oliver said that university grants and loans are also options for needy students.

In the 2002-2003 academic year, just under $50 million was allocated to NCCU students. Only $17 million was “free” money, such as grants and scholarships, and $455,000 was from work study.

The remainder — about $32 million — was borrowed, and will be debt that students carry into their futures.

Students from low- income families nationwide face the same financial problems faced by NCCU students.

According to a recent article in “Atlantic Monthly” magazine, Pell grants have lost over half their value in the last 25 years.

In 1976, a maximum Pell grant award for a low income student covered 84 percent of that student’s college cost. In 2000, the same amount covered 39 percent.

According to Richard Kahlenburg, author of “America’s Untapped Resource: Low Income Students in Higher Education,” high achieving low income students are finding it more and more difficult to get an education.

“The government has to put more money in Pell grants so that the money students from low-income families get will be able to keep up with rising cost o education,” he said.