How a 20-year-old NYU student paid his $48,000 tuition bill in a year

New York University is notoriously expensive.

Its tuition and fees are among the highest in the US, at about $48,000 a year. On top of that, the cost of living in New York City makes room and board pretty pricey: $17,580. After factoring in books, transportation, and personal expenses, students can expect to pay $70,974 a year, the university predicts.

That could be a recipe for a student-loan horror story.

But not for one NYU sophomore: Long Island native Eric Hu is paying his tuition bill as he goes.

"My parents pay for living costs, and I pay off the tuition part," he tells Business Insider. After working several jobs his freshman year, he says, he was able to pay off the entire year's tuition by the beginning of his sophomore year - and he's on track to do the same for the 2015-2016 school year.

We spoke with the 20-year-old media culture and communications major about how he managed to cover a $48,280 bill while living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Here's how he did it: