HEATHROW, Fla. — Sen. Rick Scott is working to come up with solutions for the high cost of college.

  • Scott is on a higher education listening tour across the state
  • Scott hopes to working to find solution to cut student debt
  • Senator to look at policies on Pell Grants, other financial aid 

His listening tour took a stop in Central Florida on Thursday, at Seminole State College's Heathrow campus, to hear what students' concerns.

Scott says he’s aware that rising student loan debt is a big problem in this country. According to the Federal Reserve, it's up to $1.6 trillion.

Scott wants the government to help.

“I want to take these ideas back and see what I can do at the federal level,” Scott said.

Students told Scott that paying for college is a struggle for them and their classmates.

“It’s not just paying for courses, paying for textbooks. It’s paying for housing, it’s paying for food,” UCF graduate student Thomas Moyer said.

He had to work a full-time job on top of going to school full time to stay out of debt for his bachelor's degree. 

“(I was) taking my five courses on top of maintaining 40 hours of work outside of my school courses,” Moyer said.

Many students told Scott that although their parents may make too much for them to qualify for Pell Grants, their parents still couldn’t afford to pay for all of their college expenses. 

“It can be a struggle. Even if you don’t qualify for financial aid, it doesn’t mean you’re not struggling financially,” Seminole State history major Laura Wick said.

“Not every student is reflective of the money that their parents make,” Moyer added.

Scott said he’s going to look at the policies surrounding Pell Grants and other federal financial aid after this discussion. 

“I think one thing the federal government has to do is take a look at every program and see what changes we need to make,” Scott said.

Scott did not comment specifically on canceling federal student debt when we asked, but he said the focus should be creating good-paying jobs for students when they graduate.

“... and keep building this economy and make sure we don’t continue the problem,” Scott said.

For both Moyers and Wick, their parents invested in a Florida prepaid tuition plan to cover college costs. But they acknowledge many of their classmates are not as lucky. 

Florida ranks 43rd in the nation for the average amount of debt per student, but half of Florida’s students graduate with student loan debt.