With the start of classes only weeks, or even days, away, Cal State Northridge's financial aid director Kathryn J. Anderson wants to reassure students and their parents that paying for a college education is still possible.

"They should not give up, a college education is too important," Anderson said. "College and universities across the country have people who can help. You just need to ask."

Anderson said the most important thing to remember is that it is never too late to apply for financial aid.

"All universities have financial aid applications on the Web," she said. "The first thing a student should do is apply, and they will get a much speedier response if they apply on the Web."

She said a dependent student as well as independent students can still qualify for student loans themselves, and their parents may even qualify for a parent loan. The federal student loan program may provide enough money to cover college tuition or fees and still have some money left over to help pay for books.

Interest rates for federal loans are at 3.46 percent for students and 4.86 percent for parents, an all-time low, she said.

If students don't qualify for a federal loan, they can still apply for an alternative loan from a bank depending on their credit and if they get a co-signer.

The difference between the two loan programs, Anderson said, is that students don't have to start paying federal loans back until they are out of school while the alternative loans may require repayment sooner.

Loans aren't the only financial aid option, Anderson said. There are still some late scholarships and Pell Grants available as well as work-study programs that provide students with a specific amount of pay for working on campus.

There are also other jobs on campus that students can apply for or paid internships in their chosen field of study where students not only earn academic credit but pay as well.

"There is always some type of option we can come up with for a student, even if it means that you don't got to school full-time this semester, but instead work part-time, save some money and then enroll full time next semester," Anderson said. "The key is to ask somebody, be persistent and limit your use of credit cards because that's not the type of debt you want when you graduate."

This year, Cal State Northridge officials expect to award students more than $100 million in financial aid.

California State University, Northridge has more than 31,500 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the third largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."