Many college students here in the Tri-State will head back to classes in less than a month. On top of tuition, they’re trying to afford things like rent, groceries and textbooks.
We found there's help available for NKU students.
University officials said they have programs that are saving some students a lot of money.
Northern Kentucky University student Josiah King walked us through Fuel NKU, the university’s food pantry. Students can visit twice a week and grab what they need, completely free. King says that's been incredibly helpful.
“They help you out a lot, help you save money and get the stuff that you need like bananas, hot sauce,” King said. “It’s kinda like a grocery store, that’s how I see it.”
NKU said the program helped students save $290,000 in groceries last year.
“This just takes some stress off of their financial burden by being able to come here twice a week,” said Peg Adams, director of University Connect and Persist at NKU.
Students can also shop at the CARE Closet.
“We believe everyone deserves fashion they feel comfortable in,” Adams said.
They can find anything from interview attire to casual clothes — all for free.
“Last year we had 550 students use the CARE Closet,” Adams said.
Many students said they’re shelling out hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars just to get the textbooks they need.
The university library has a program to help with that, too.
“Students can borrow as many textbooks as we have available for the entire semester,” Adams said. “A student might be able to get all their course materials.”
NKU said the textbook program saved students $32,000 dollars last year.
“We had about 200 students each semester borrow textbooks,” Adams said.
All 3 of these resources are available to any NKU student, no questions asked. All you need is your student ID.
University officials say they want to get the word out so as many students as possible can save money this upcoming school year.
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