This is certainly a creative way of dealing with the rising cost of tuition.

Natalie Sportelli of Forbes reports.

Meet The Millennials Crowdfunding Their College Tuition

Christopher Pena is a rising sophomore at the College of Saint Rose and, like millions of other college students, he grapples with enormous tuition bills. Even after grants, scholarships, part time jobs, and family assistance, Pena has a hard time finding enough to cover the cost of his college education. So, he got creative and went online.

With his family’s help, he created a GoFundMe page, requesting support from funders to the tune of $12,000. “I feel that crowdfunding is a great way to spread the word about a cause,” says Pena. “It’s very effective and it spreads like wildfire and people end up finding your page and donating.”

The Information Technology major has raised more than $4,000 of his goal thus far, contributions have come from family, friends, and also strangers. “The people who find my page believe in education and believe in the power of a degree in terms of moving up in social and economic classes,” he says. “They believe that people have the potential to succeed, but don’t always have the means.”

Pena, a dean’s list student at Saint Rose, finds that people his age believe crowdfunding is a creative means for tackling a problem millions of students face every day. He finds that often high-achieving students have to choose where they attend college for financial reasons, and even then may have a hard time covering the costs.

“I work really hard and never expect anyone to give me anything,” says Pena. “It is very humbling to see people donate to my page.”