My wife and I have six children who are in college or have graduated. So far, with almost no financial help from us, they have earned 4 Bachelors degrees, a Masters degree, and an Associates degree (with a Bachelors degree and a PhD in progress).

They covered on their own the cost of housing, living expenses, tuition, books, and fees. The only thing we have paid for is medical and dental and expenses and insurance, and flights home. They didn't end up with massive student debt, either -- I think a couple of them borrowed a few thousand (probably less than 10k) during undergrad, and the rest have no college debt.

How did they do it?

• Chose less-expensive schools (you can Google for "best value colleges" to find schools that are good quality for the money)

• Worked while going to school: part-time during the semester, and as much as possible during the summer

• Got scholarships

• Worked and saved money before college

• Took some classes (typically 2 to 6) at a community college before starting at a university

To be fair, they have known since they were 5 that their parents would not be paying for college, so they had time to prepare. But you can apply most of the same principles right away.

My wife and I have six children who are in college or have graduated. So far, with almost no financial help from us, they have earned 4 Bachelors degrees, a Masters degree, and an Associates degree (with a Bachelors degree and a PhD in progress).

On their own, they covered the cost of housing, living expenses, tuition, books, and fees. The only thing we have paid for is medical and dental expenses and insurance, and flights home. They didn't end up with massive student debt, either -- I think a couple of them borrowed a few thousand (probably less than 10k) during undergrad, and the rest have no college debt.

How did they do it?

• Chose less-expensive schools (you can Google for "best value colleges" to find schools that are good quality for the money)

• Worked while going to school: part-time during the semester, and as much as possible during the summer

• Got scholarships

• Worked and saved money before college

• Took some classes (typically 2 to 6) at a community college before starting at a university

To be fair, they have known since they were 5 that their parents would not be paying for college, so they had time to prepare. But you can apply most of the same principles right away.

My wife and I have six children who are in college or have graduated. So far, with almost no financial help from us, they have earned 4 Bachelors degrees, a Masters degree, and an Associates degree, with a Bachelors degree and a PhD in progress.

They covered by themselves the cost of housing, living expenses, tuition, books, and fees. The only thing we have paid for is medical and dental insurance and expenses, and flights home. They didn't end up with massive student debt, either -- I think a couple of them borrowed a few thousand (probably less than 10k) during undergrad, and the rest have no college debt.

How did they do it?

• Chose less-expensive schools (you can Google for "best value colleges" to find schools that are good quality for the money)

• Worked while going to school

• Got scholarships

• Worked and saved money before college

• Took some classes (typically 2 to 6) at a community college before starting at a university

To be fair, they have known since they were 5 that their parents would not be paying for college, so they had time to prepare. But you can apply most of the same principles right away.

My wife and I have six children who are in college or have graduated. So far, with almost no financial help from us, they have earned 4 Bachelors degrees, a Masters degree, and an Associates degree (with a Bachelors degree and a PhD in progress).

They covered on their own the cost of housing, living expenses, tuition, books, and fees. The only thing we have paid for is medical and dental and expenses and insurance, and flights home. They didn't end up with massive student debt, either -- I think a couple of them borrowed a few thousand (probably less than 10k) during undergrad, and the rest have no college debt.

How did they do it?

• Chose less-expensive schools (you can Google for "best value colleges" to find schools that are good quality for the money)

• Worked while going to school: part-time during the semester, and as much as possible during the summer

• Got scholarships

• Worked and saved money before college

• Took some classes (typically 2 to 6) at a community college before starting at a university

To be fair, they have known since they were 5 that their parents would not be paying for college, so they had time to prepare. But you can apply most of the same principles right away.