Over the past forty years the cost of a four year college education at the big name schools is through the roof. So, don't send your kids to the big name schools.
Education critic Marty Nemko says a community college may be the most cost effective answer.
"The most underrated colleges in America are the community colleges."
Nemko says your kids don't have to do all four years at a community college.
"It's making that smart choice; go to a community college for the first two years and then transfer."
Nemko says it already costs $300,000 to get a four year degree at a brand name college and some say it'll cost a half million dollars by 2037.
Nemko says part of the answer is to choose a community college for at least the first two years -- and don't live on campus.
"Sometimes the wisest thing for a kid to do is to live at home for the first year or two in college, to do a little more maturing and avoid some of that freshman craziness that results in drug addictions and pregnancies and very high dropout rates."
Nemko says community college professors can be as good as or better than those at the brand name schools.