Aug 08, 2016 04:30 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

As the nation is currently having differing views on the college debt crisis, students should already start thinking about ways to help pay for their education. There are still high expectations that most of the high school students today will be able to earn a bachelor's degree.

The Courier noted that 90 percent of families expect that their student will get a bachelor's degree while 54 percent said that they are expecting a graduate degree. This is quite surprising since it was reported that there is about $1.3 trillion in student loan debt.

Moreover, there are other ongoing problems in the economy. Two of the issues facing the workforce today are wage stagnation and underemployment.

One good thing, though, is that majority of students nowadays are actively looking for ways to make their education more affordable. The publication shared five ways that students and families can plan for college.

1. Start saving early and frequently.

Parents who want their kids to earn a bachelor's degree should start saving as early as they can. Students can also help their families save up for their college education by applying for part-time or summer jobs.

2. Have a plan and save wisely.

Only a few families create a plan to pay for college. These families were revealed to have been able to save 3.5 times more and borrow one-third less than those who did not plan for their kids' education early. There are several tools and institutions that can help families make a plan to save for an education.

3. Be practical and realistic in choosing where to go to school.

While it is good to apply for prestigious colleges, academic programs and financial details should be taken into consideration. There are various factors that could make college affordable or not.

4. Look for ways to lower spending.

There are a lot of things that can be done to save on school supplies. Here are the dos and don'ts for back-to-school shopping.

5. Find financial institutions that can help you.

Scholarships and grants are the most common ways to make college education affordable. There is a wide range of scholarships for certain demographics as well as characteristics such as academic, athletic and artistic.

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