Figuring out how to pay for College

Hello, so I really plan on going to San Francisco State University as a Freshman in Fall 2019, and the estimated cost for tuition, housing, etc. is about $24,600, and a while back I received a letter from the CSAC telling me that the estimated grant aid I can receive is about $13,300. However, the estimated cost not available for me is about $11,300. With my current financial situation, it’s really expensive, so I’ve been searching, trying to look for scholarships, getting a job to save money, etc., but if I had to, would it be possible for me to take out loans and use them to pay for the rest of the cost? Or is it just too expensive and not affordable?

SFSU will be giving out financial aid notices sometime this month, but any help/advice right now would be still appreciated, thanks.

You can take $5,500 in federal direct loan. You can also work part time during the school year and full time in the summer to earn some money to help pay for school, but $5,800 is on the high side of typical estimates.

Do you have any other school options? E.g. starting at a community college and transferring as a junior? Living with your parents? Or can your parents contribute some money since you will no longer be consuming food and utilities at home? Or a CSU that you can live at home and commute to?