Getting an affordable college education

University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus
The University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus.
MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel

The cost of a college education is becoming one of the pressing issues of our time. Today--with the cost of tuition as high as it is--students have to use a much smarter strategy for choosing a college. And students have to think about the debt they'll have to pay off after graduation: There are 38 million Americans with student loan debt. In 2010, Minnesota had the 4th highest average in the nation. The national average is around $25,000, a 5 percent increase from 2009.

How do you figure out what you can afford--now and later? Personal finance educator and consultant Ruth Hayden joins The Daily Circuit Friday to discuss how families can figure out what they can afford, and how to get the best education without accumulating loads of debt.

KERRI'S TAKEAWAY

More people than I expected still would go to college, but would've done it differently.