Financial Answer Center

Here are some good ways to get your child involved. He or she can:

• Work during summers and part-time during the school year.
• Spend two years at a lower-cost community college, saving money on room and board while living at home, then transfer to a four-year school.
• Attend a state university that has lower tuition for state residents.
• Let the military pay through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). The Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force offer scholarships that pay most or all of schooling costs plus a monthly stipend; but your student must serve up to eight years, with an option of serving four years on active duty, upon graduation. And, while in school, he or she must attend ROTC classes. For details, contact your local recruiting center.
• Go to a military academy. West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy are all free, but difficult to get into.
• Select a school with a co-op program that alternates working and attending classes. Check out the National Commission for Cooperative Education at www.co-op.edu.
• Put your child on a budget and make sure he or she sticks to it.