Checklist as your teenager heads off to college: Don't forget to: a) pay the tuition; b) have the safe-sex talk; c) have the drinking-and-driving talk; and d) buy your student a house or condo. Pardon the whiplash on that last one, but the fact is, many parents who are financially able to do so are choosing to invest in real estate close to campus for their college-bound offspring. In many cases, it's preferable to shelling out dormitory fees or apartment rent. Statistician Walter Molony of the National Association of Realtors, or NAR, estimates there are about 3 million campus houses and condos in America today, properties that were purchased primarily for the owners' college-bound students. That represents about 8 percent of the nation's 37.4 million investment properties, but excludes 6.8 million vacation homes, which don't tend to be near college campuses.

The average total cost of a private four-year college rose to $32,307 for the current school year, but the rate of increase has slowed compared to public school prices, according to a report released Monday. Excluding room and board costs, average published tuition fees at a private four-year college in 2007-08 climbed 6.3 percent year over year to $23,712, according to the College Board, a non-profit association of more than 5,200 schools, colleges and universities.

A new federal law increases college financial aid for families who qualify, offers grants to students who plan to teach and helps struggling graduates repay their student loans. Need-based aid. Pell Grants, awarded to students with financial need, climb to a maximum of $5,400 per year over the next five years (the current maximum is $4,310). The interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans (also need-based) drops to 3.4% over the next four years, half the current rate. The rate on unsubsidized Staffords remains at 6.8%.

The front-running Democratic presidential candidates are pushing a simple idea they say will make college loans more affordable: cutting out the middlemen. And the middlemen -- primarily, commercial banks and lenders -- are none too pleased. This month, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton issued her plan to make college more affordable through a range of proposals, from creating a new tuition tax credit to simplifying the aid application process. Buried at the bottom of her plan is perhaps the most radical step: A pitch to eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan Program, which gives subsidies to commercial lenders such as Sallie Mae to distribute federal loans to students.

Colleges are moving to eliminate -- or at least ease -- student debt as pressure builds in Washington for them to spend more from their endowments to help families afford the rising cost of school. This month, Williams College announced that it will eliminate loans from all financial-aid packages beginning next school year and replace them with grants. Amherst College recently announced a similar initiative. And Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., began this fall replacing loans with grants and student employment.

Consolidating student loans is simple: If you meet certain requirements and you have student loans, you can consolidate them into a single loan. What this means is that the lender you choose will pay off the current student loan amounts that you still owe, and will combine the different amounts that you owe into just one loan. When the lender does this, you will probably see your monthly payment on student loans drop. And that's just what you are looking for, an easier and more affordable way to pay down your student loans.

Although most students who get a loan for college apply for federal student loans, it may be helpful to consider private sources of funding as well. While the federal loans usually have lower rates of interest because the rate is subsidised and the loan is guaranteed by the government, the process can be cumbersome and you may need more than what you qualify for. Private student loans can often be used to supplement the federal student loans, especially when federal student loan funds cannot meet the full cost of education. But there are some important things to consider before loading up on them.

A college student loan has given many people all over the United States a chance to further their education, even if they are not making a lot of money. Education student loans can be a big help in paying for college. You'll find most of these federal student loans offer a low interest rate and a generous repayment terms. Of course, all direct student loans, federal student loans and private student loans must still be repaid, usually with interest, although some educational student loans have provisions for cancellation if the borrower performs a program-related service.

The best student loans around are really not that hard to find. In fact, with so much competition for the student loan market, there are even some pretty good private student loan deals floating around. Even so, the best student loans available continue to be the loan programs offered by the federal government. They are created with students (rather than profits) in mind, have generous application and repayment terms and have undergone a lot of public scrutiny.

The intention of providing graduate student loan is to aid the students who are not able to afford the expenses for their graduation. A number of financial institutions and banks are now offering these loans with flexible options and reasonable interest rates.