Katherine Gould already scrapes by, working two jobs while she raises twin girls and studies for a graduate degree at Cal State Northridge. But the cost of her diploma will likely spiral upward as California universities ponder piling on hundreds of dollars in fees -- again. 'I am barely making it,' the 42-year-old Glendale resident said Tuesday, standing in front of the Oviatt Library, where she works at one of her part-time jobs. 'I have no idea where it'll come from. 'I'm not yet down to counting pinto beans, but we are eating a lot of beans.' California State University trustees will vote today in Long Beach on raising undergraduate fees -- which they're now calling tuition -- by 5 percent for the spring semester and an additional 10 percent for 2011-2012. And next week, University of California regents are expected to boost annual tuition by 8 percent at the system's 10 campuses. For undergrads at CSUN, that means annual tuition could rise from $4,200 to nearly $4,900 for the 2011-12 year, compared to $1,400 a decade earlier. Tuition at UCLA could surpass $11,000 -- more than double the fees of seven years ago. In a comparison of 15 public universities across the nation, the average annual cost of tuition was $8,700. Some say the rising cost of a college degree will force students to work while attending school, pile on more loans or, possibly, drop out. Others say there are still millions in untapped financial aid, and that grants will help fund the extra tuition. At CSUN, administrators took a wait-and-see approach. 'Right now, financial aid covers a great many students,' said Provost Harry Hellenbrand. 'But we're faced with a dilemma: We know that the state isn't going to give more money and the state is broke. 'The fees are necessary to make up that cost. But the financial aid will be there.' Meanwhile, applications for the spring semester have been opened, with demand up by 1,000 transfer students, or 8 to 9 percent, he said. And tuition is expected to climb even higher in the next few years. 'There's a finite supply of money, so you'll either pay tuition, pay your car payment, or you'll pay rent,' said Allen Martin, director of the CSUN Consumer Resources Center and an expert in family finance. 'Something's gotta go, or you'll accumulate more debt.' That's just what CSUN junior Brendon Taylor faces. Ever since he was 10, the psychology major from Santa Clarita saved half his birthday and holiday money to pay for college. But with his college fund depleted and the $650 tuition boost next year, he expects to have to go into hock, his student loan already approved. 'Can't swing it,' said Taylor, 20, of the rising cost of his degree. 'I'm working two jobs, the only financial aid I can get are loans. The bottom line: I love this campus, but I don't see how they need more money from me.' While many students like Taylor groan under the load, it's the parents of some students who bear the burden. The mother of Eromomen Esoimeme, a native of Nigeria, just took on a second job as a home health aid to put Esoimeme and her brother through college. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old CSUN student has applied for every job she can -- at restaurants, retail stores and retirement homes -- to no avail. 'This will be devastating,' Esoimeme said. 'It's a huge burden. I can no longer talk to my mother because she's working so much. 'It's ridiculous. You've gotta think about the people who don't find work. Who are struggling. Who are first-generation college students. It's just way too much to ask.' Suzy Mkhitarian works part time as a travel agent to help her dad, who foots much of the bill for her education. 'It has gotten very expensive,' said Mkhitarian, 24, of Glendale, who is majoring in communications and whose fees went up $400 last year. 'Does anybody have (another) $654 to spare? I don't. I'll go to school next year -- if we can afford it.' Despite the financial pressure, some said they were holding their own, even with the extra tuition. 'I can survive it, but it'll probably be rough for a lot of students,' said Dan Monteleone, 28, a graduate student from Valencia, who works at night at Blockbuster and once a week as a substitute teacher. 'Prices keep going up ... but it's still a bargain.' CSUN senior Josh Taylor will likely graduate and not be hit with the hefty tuition. But he was conscious of the effect on other students and his fraternity brothers at Kappa Alpha Psi. 'I'm not happy about it,' said Taylor, 20, a political science major and jazz musician who aspires to become a corporate entertainment lawyer. 'Even since the budget cuts started, there's been more money into raising tuition, and less money into student courses,' with many not getting into certain classes. 'I'm talking about students, from freshman to seniors, and it's delaying our degrees.' 