Train to Gain, which is designed to train adults while they work, has become one of the main funding sources for colleges.
When I was a child, there was an expectation that parents would be the primary source of payment for college".
Because peer-to-peer student lending is so new and so little data is available, it's impossible to know how many students are getting loans or to predict whether this option will ever be a major source of money for college.
"If I just want to tell you stuff, a lecture is very useful, but if I really want you to learn something it's not that useful," said Richard Baraniuk, professor of electrical engineering at Rice University and founder of Connexions, an open source Web site for college textbooks.
Because bonds are low-yielding, they should not be the sole source of funding for college.
Scholarships are now the top source of funding for college costs, and are vital to many families as tuition rates continue to climb.
Beginning at a community college is another approach to reducing your need to rely on savings, loans, and other sources to pay for college.
Preserve other savings: College is expensive, but students have more sources of money for college than you will for retirement, so don't dip into your 401(k) or other retirement savings.
And while any financial planner would say that the right choice is crystal clear -- retirement is the priority, because there are student loans and other sources of funding for college -- it feels at odds with the instinct to put your kid first.
Other potential sources of stress for college students include excessive homework, unclear assignments, and uncomfortable classrooms.
