Americans Are Using Crowdfunding to Pay for College

Miami Herald

a day ago

Mackenzie Brown is pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse thanks to the kindness of strangers.
The 25-year-old, who is in an accelerated program at the Galen College of Nursing in Nashville, Tennessee, had initially relied on financial aid to cover her tuition and expenses. But she was told that was no longer an option after she took a break from her studies following a miscarriage last year, she told Newsweek.
Struggling to afford her tuition, she decided to set up a GoFundMe page.
Brown is among a growing number of students in the United States turning to crowdfunding to help them overcome the financial barriers to pursuing a college education, as tuition costs continue to soar and millions of Americans are saddled with mounting student loan debt.
Though some question whether college is worth the price, research has shown that having a college degree can significantly increase earning potential.
There has been a more than 15 percent increase in the number of fundraisers for college students and related expenses on GoFundMe over the last year, a spokesperson told Newsweek. In 2024 alone, more than 40,000 people and organizations received donations on the platform to help with tuition fees and scholarships.
"I think a lot of us are struggling," Brown, who works as a labor and postpartum doula, told Newsweek.
She said that while some turn to their own communities for help, GoFundMe "is just a bigger platform to reach people."
Brown said she raised almost $2,000 the first time she set up a GoFundMe page to help fund her education last year. She recently set up another account to help cover her tuition for the coming year, about $5,000 per quarter.
On the page, she tells prospective donors that they would be investing in a future nurse "who will show up for the people who need it most."
"My journey to nursing hasn't been easy. I've faced financial hardships, worked multiple jobs, and balanced life's responsibilities, all while showing up for patients, classmates, and my community," she wrote. "As a doula in East Nashville, I've seen firsthand the disparities Black women face in health care-especially in birth and postpartum care. That's why I'm not just going into nursing for a job-I'm answering a calling."
She "can't do it alone," she added. "Tuition, books, and transportation cost are piling up. Unfortunately, financial aid hasn't been an option I could utilize this past quarter. That's why I'm asking for your help. Every donation-no matter the size-gets me one step closer to the finish line."
Brown said she hadn't expected many donations when she first set up a fundraiser, but was pleasantly surprised by the support it received from people across the country.
"The first time I did it, I didn't expect a lot of people to help just because they were strangers to me," she said. "A lot of people that donated lived in different states, and they were sending me emails and messages about how much they understood what I was going through, because they went through their own nursing journey. It's been pretty helpful."
Dejonte Campbell, an 18-year-old living in New York City, also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to support his pursuit of a degree in electrical engineering at Syracuse University.
"I've been blessed with the opportunity to go to college to pursue a career in Electrical Engineering, something I've dreamed about for years," Campbell wrote on his page.
"But as excited as I am, financial barriers are standing in the way. My mother has done everything she can, but college costs are far beyond what she can afford on her own. That's why I'm humbly asking for your help."
Campbell told Newsweek that he initially set up the fundraiser after receiving less in financial aid than he needed to cover his tuition and expenses. After appealing, he can now cover his initial costs, but he is hopeful that the fundraiser will help him raise enough to pay for expenses over his four years of college.
His friends had initially thought he was joking when he said he was going to set up a GoFundMe page, he said.
"After a while, they realized I was serious, and I started promoting it more. My mom and my family started promoting it more, and I got a lot of donations from people from different parts of the country."
He added: "I'm really grateful for the people who went out their way to donate to my GoFundMe because it shows that there's a lot of good people out there that really want to see people succeed."
Brown said she thinks more students are utilizing platforms like GoFundMe because social media makes it easier to reach a huge audience.
"You're more prone to being helped by a stranger rather than someone in your very own community, and I believe it's because of the reach that it has now," she said.
"I could post a video or something on social media, and it'll be viral by the end of the week. So I think people are just reaching more communities via social media than word of mouth."
She said she is grateful to those who have donated or raised awareness about fundraisers set up by her and others.
"At this point, this GoFundMe hasn't just become about me like," she added. "I'm helping advocate for other students that may be struggling."
Melanie Standage, a spokesperson for GoFundMe, told Newsweek that the platform's mission "is to help people help each other, and we're inspired by the generosity of those who come to the platform to help the next generation pursue their college dreams."
She added, "Over the past 15 years, we've seen countless students' lives changed for the better thanks to the generosity of strangers. Whether they're the first in their family to attend college or are facing unexpected financial challenges, these students are harnessing the power of community to make their goals a reality, and we're proud to provide a platform that makes that possible."
Campbell said he thinks students like him are turning to GoFundMe to ensure they have the opportunity to pursue the degrees that will give them the best chance of future success.
"A lot of people out there, and a lot of like kids and teenagers out there, don't have the opportunity most of us have," he said. "So I feel like the ones that do have it and want better for themselves should get the opportunity to do better."
For him, donations toward his tuition expenses will help him achieve the means to repay his mother for the sacrifices she has made for him and his siblings.
He described her as a "courageous immigrant woman" who "left everything behind in search of a better future for me and my siblings" on his page. "Since then, she has worked not one, but two jobs day and night just to keep food on the table and help me stay in school," he said.
To make her proud, he wants to become "a leader, a role model, and someone who lifts others the way I've been lifted by love, community, and faith."
Though he knows getting his college degree isn't easy, he told Newsweek: "I'm still gonna push through and try my best. So at the end, I could reap what I sow."
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