When I was a university student in the US many years ago, I financed my education by working about 15-20 hours a week in a hospital and in a doctors' office, cleaning rooms and offices. I also worked full time each summer. I received some scholarships, and my parents probably paid the rest of the costs. I lived at home, so that my expenses were less than they would have been if I had lived on campus.
When my three children were in the university in the 1980's, the costs were much higher than they had been for me years before. They all lived on campus, about five hours away from our home by car. Then we financed their education, with all three of them in the university at the same time, by my funds, government loans, and what was called "work-study," where they worked 15-20 hours a week during the academic year and full time in the summer vacation to finance their education. They may receive scholarships or government loans. Many afford the basic community colleges and live at home for their first two years as a way to be able to transfer to four-year universities for their third and fourth years of university education.
In China, university costs are much lower than in the US, but are rising annually. My Chinese students tell me that their annual costs are presently in the range of 10,000 Yuan or more. Most of their parents are sacrificing a great deal to give them the opportunity to attend universities. Some receive scholarships and some earn extra money by a few hours weekly of tutoring or other jobs. Being a university student in the US or China is costly, but in the long term the rewards are far greater than for those who have not had the chance to go to university.