After high school, Pio thought she would be going to the University of California, Riverside, and Martinez thought she would go to the University of California, Berkeley.

"I was really excited. But then reality hit me: How am I going to pay for this?" Martinez said.
They aren't alone.

A new Pew Hispanic Center survey found that 90 percent of Latino students say it's "necessary" to get a college education to get ahead in life — more than any other ethnic or racial groups in the country — but financial pressures are keeping them from attending college.

The study shows that Latino students want to go to college just as much as their peers, but they face more barriers.

Nearly 74 percent of those students who dropped out of high school or didn't finish college say they did it to help support their families.

An additional 40 percent said they cannot afford school.

The national survey of young Latinos was conducted between Aug. 9 and Sept. 16.

The results were released Wednesday.

Nationwide, census data show, 24 percent of Hispanics age 18 to 24 are enrolled in college or graduate school. Among all groups, the average is 34 percent.

"This is nothing new; it's just getting worse," said Maria Villaseρor, assistant professor of Chicano/a studies at California State University, Monterey Bay.

"Historically, we've had huge challenges in providing higher-education opportunities for Latinos, and now it's intensifying.

The current political and economic climate is making it more difficult for students."

Villaseρor said higher tuition and decreasing government aid are making some of her students work more while in school.

"We're six weeks into the school year, and some students haven't been able to afford to buy the books," she said.