Too rich and too poor.

Fox 40 reports.

Too Poor to Pay for College, Too Rich for Financial Aid

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Gage Marquez’s dream is to become the first in his family to go to college, get his degree from the University of California at San Diego, and eventually become a cardiologist.

He nearly cried tears of joy when he found out he got in.

But then he and his parents took a look at the financial aid award. He was given a grant for a little less than $3,000. And the school, which determines how much a student can take out in federal loans, will let him borrow just $6,800.

That still leaves his parents with a bill of $18,000 for the first year alone.

Now, not only does Gage face borrowing more than $27,000 over four years, but his parents will need to take out about $72,000 in higher interest loans.