Money doesn't grow on trees, but if it did, the foliage in the forest of higher education would be quite barren.

The federal government has offered students $2,625 per year since the mid-1980s, even though the price of tuition has grown to the tune of $10,000 per year.

Obviously, as higher education grows, the nourishing rain of increased loans is necessary. It would be a beneficial dual investment for the federal government to seek ways to increase funds within the U.S. Department of Education. Not only does the government receive interest payments from these loans, but students are then able to attend the higher-education institution of their choice.

Until more money can be allotted federally, students can fund their MSU experience in other ways. There are a wide variety of trees in the forest of higher education, including scholarships and grants. Parents also can plant a seed in their child's educational future through parent loans and savings programs such as the Michigan Educational Trust.

MSU helps trim the interest rates for students by using a privatized system other than the government. The Federal Family Education Loan Program allows financial aid to come from commercial lenders.

These efforts by MSU show another way the university is maintaining greenery in the lives of students. The average college student graduates with $19,000 in loan debt, and anything MSU can do to cut that cost makes a difference.

Information also is key for students and parents to plan ahead for the increasing costs of higher education.

The legal and financial jargon in many loan applications is not only confusing, it also can be intimidating. The educational and financial systems should collaborate to put loans in layman's terms.

To prevent all the leaves from falling off the money tree, parents and students need to become more informed of their borrowing options. A little information fertilizer could go a long way.