SPOKANE -- With college students heading back to campus many are getting a real life lesson in economics as the demand for student loans and financial aid has dramatically increased over the past year but the amount of available money hasn't.

Vawn Borges has just one semester left until graduation from Gonzaga. Short about $9,000 for tuition, Borges was forced to get creative in order to finish college.

“For a college student like me, I don't have any real support from the outside. Pretty much been supporting myself through college working and getting scholarships and what not so for them to say I need $9,000 to finish the last 10 credits of my degree is kinda shocking,” Borges said.

So Borges, who is majoring in history and political science, came up with an unorthodox solution

“At Gonzaga I'm taking my senior thesis class first of all classical mythology,” he said.

As for the rest of the credits he needs to graduate from Gonzaga he’s taking a few transferable classes at Spokane Falls Community College for about $1,000. Borges says a few of his friends have done the same.

“This is definitely a situation that has been going on for a little while and affects a lot of people. I'm just glad I get the opportunity to say something about it,” he said.

The Washington State Higher Education Board says state financial aid programs were stretched to the max this year; the number of students who qualified for aid and didn't receive it tripled from last year.