Some things I have seen students do:
- Take classes part time and work part/full time. It may take longer, but you do what you have to do. I heard one person put it like this, "My sister told me, 'it's going to take you 8 years to finish your degree. Why are you even doing this?' and my reply was, 'well, 8 years are going to pass either way and when they do, I can either have a degree or not.'"
- I have seen other students take full time classes and work part time. Yes, it's tough, and they may sacrifice time hanging out with friends or going to parties and drinking, but you do what you have to do to make it through keeping in mind that you're working towards a better future for yourself.
- In the US at least, there are many scholarships and types of financial aid available.
- There are student loans available.
- Many students get summer jobs and save some of the money to help with school costs throughout the year.
I think it's great for parents to help out with college costs as much as possible, but I also think that students that have to pay at least part of their own way take it a lot more seriously and work harder. And there's nothing like having to work a cr@p job to remind a person why they want to succeed in school so they can have a better job soon.