The cost of a college education has a lot to do with the extras. Here's how to cut the bills for credit cards, phone calls, textbooks and more. But increasingly it's the extras that really add to the tab. Today's college students want computers, credit cards, personal 800 numbers and cell phones, to name just a few options. But there are ways to keep these costs down, as a team of Money reporters including Judy Feldman, Patrice C. Johnson, David Kahn, Brian P. Murphy, Vanessa Richardson, and Brook C. Wilkinson demonstrate in the September issue of the magazine.
College students start racking up debt early.
Card issuers readily grant credit to college and even high school students, and parents usually have no say in the matter. For students the result is often the added worry of debt on top of academic responsibilities. As a parent there are two things you can do. First, discourage your child from carrying a balance. Second, make sure your child's card has the lowest interest rate possible, just in case.