There Are a number of unique ways you can actually cut the cost of college, including:

• Get College Credit Without Going to College. Many high schools offer placement (AP) classes which are designed to prepare students for advanced placement exams at the end of the year. If the student passes the advanced placement exam, she can get college credit for that course. Even if the student doesn't take an advanced placement class, she can still take the exam and try to get college credit. Students have gotten credit for an entire semester - even an entire year - just by taking advanced placement exams...

Not all colleges accept advanced placement credits, so check with the college our student is interested in before signing up for the test.

• Go the Nontraditional Route. Attending classes is only one way to get an education. Literally hundreds of well-known colleges, from Syracuse to the University of London, offer programs where students can take classes by mail and internet at a fraction of traditional courses.

• Get Credit for Life Experience. If you're an older student returning to school to finish a degree or going to school for the first time, explore the possibility of getting credit for your life experience. Hundreds of colleges offer life experience credit for skills ranging form fluency in French to magazine writing. You'll need to match your skills to courses being offered by the school you're attending, and then demonstrate proficiency in the subject matter. Requirements differ for each school.

• Work for The College. Most colleges offer employees, children of employees and spouses of employees free or partially-free tuition. That goes for secretaries as well as department heads. So if you have any interest at all in joining, the faculty or staff of a college makes the move before your children go to college. Not only will tuition cost you next to nothing, but you won't have to pay taxes on the benefit either!

• Barter! Are you in a business that could be useful to colleges? Is there any special talent you have that you could exchange for a cut in tuition costs? If so, then try bartering with the college of your child's choice. As old as the hills, but never out of style, bartering is an excellent way to make college costs more manageable.

Some excellent bartering ideas: If you're a public relations executive, offer to create a public awareness campaign for one of the college's programs. Do you plan conventions, meetings or parties for a living? Offer to do the planning for an alumni weekend or freshman orientation. Are you an architect? You could draw up the plans for a new addition to the college library.

Colleges are more willing than you might think to trade services for tuition... But one word of caution: If you strike a deal, keep the arrangement to yourself. Most colleges don't like to advertise the fact that they're willing to barter to traditional "paying" students.