University studies senior Tatiana Solis graduates in May.

What’s next? Finding a full-time job to cover bills that will include student loan repayment.

Solis is among millions of American students who have student loans and will have to deal with them and finding a well-paying job after graduation.

Of the approximately 8 million students across the country using federal loans, some deal with the debt incurred and finding a job.

UTA awarded $138 million in student loans last year, an increase from $128 million, according to figures university spokeswoman Kristin Sullivan relayed.

Solis felt the stress of paying bills and other expenses building up earlier in her undergraduate career. At first, she took out a $1,000 loan for funding the remainder of a past semester. And after three semesters of accepting loans, she will have to pay back $8,000.

“I’m just worried about interest,” said Solis, who works at a YMCA in Fort Worth. She wants a full-time job to help pay off her loans and relieve her husband of an extra job so he can pursue further education. Solis doesn’t know yet what repayment plan she’ll have.

The U.S. Education Department is taking steps to show that it understands the troubles students might encounter when the period to repay begins.

“We have numerous options available for borrowers — including the IBR (Income Based Repayment) option, which is based on income and family size,” Education Department spokesperson Jane Glickman said via email.

She said there is also a new loan forgiveness program for people working in public service, and the White House is working to make paying back loans in a more realistic time frame.

“The Obama administration is deeply committed to making college more affordable for all students. We have a number of new initiatives to help students and families know the real costs of an education (as opposed to sticker price) so they can make wise informed decisions about what school to attend,” Glickman said in an email. “President Obama spoke about many of these in the State of the Union Address.”

Repayment typically begins after a six-month grace period following graduation, financial counselor Lori Gunn said.

“Immediately upon graduation, I would like to see them make it a priority,” Gunn said in a Dec. 8 article of ITALS The Shorthorn ITALs. “Make sure they actually are figuring out how much the monthly payment is going to be and make sure they’re accounting for it into their monthly budget.”

Computer science sophomore Vishal Singh doesn’t have student loans. He had a scholarship earlier in his academic career, but it wasn’t renewed. He sold his car and accepted contributions from family to continue funding his education.

Singh said not having to worry about a part of his paycheck going toward student loan repayment would help him enjoy having his job.

“For most of us, paying off loans can be a part of your life that you don’t know when it’ll end,” he said. “Unless you know that you’ll get a job when you walk out of college, please don’t do it.”