Several parents of college students recently have written commentaries about the reality and shell-shock of meeting college costs for the first time. As a former director of financial aid at a large Midwestern university, I wish I could have met with these families much earlier to help them avoid some of the frustrations they are experiencing now.

By earlier, I don’t mean when their students were juniors in high school, I mean the day their children started kindergarten. Had I met with them then, I would have advised them to open savings accounts in their children’s names and to make deposits regularly of as little as $10 a week. Having done so, they could have had nearly $10,000 in the bank by this fall to help subsidize other resources. Even starting a savings account when their children were 10 years old would have yielded them more than $5,200 by now.

Times have changed. Today, nearly 75 percent of all the financial assistance students receive comes from the federal government and is awarded in large measure on the demonstrated need of students and their parents. Institutions provide about 20 percent of the total in the form of scholarships, tuition waivers and short-term loans. The balance of approximately 5 percent comes from the state and is usually either through loans or student employment programs.

A decade ago, nearly 60 percent of all financial assistance awarded to students was in the form of grants, while 40 percent was loans. Today the reverse is true — and there is no indication the trend will soon change. So, looking ahead to the future, young families can either wait until their students enroll in college to borrow money and subsequently pay interest to lenders or they can start saving today and earn interest from lenders from savings accounts or other investments.

For families who have not had the opportunity to save for college and find themselves facing four years of tuition expense, there is still hope. Here are a few suggestions: 1) Many companies offer scholarship opportunities to the dependents of their employees. Similar scholarships are typically available through fraternal organizations and social organizations. 2) While part-time employment requires students to be organized and disciplined, earnings from weekend jobs can help to subsidize college living expenses. 3) For many, military ROTC programs can virtually pay for college.

Depending on the commitment, ROTC can pay tuition, fees and most books, in addition to a monthly living stipend. 4) Many academic departments on college campuses offer scholarships to upperclassmen based on their academic performance. A visit to the college dean’s office can help to discover what is available. 5) Finally, while loans should be the last resource to explore, the government recently introduced unsubsidized loans that are not need-driven, which means virtually all enrolled students are eligible for low interest student loans.

Aid officers are your best resources: Unfortunately, aid officers are frequently the people who are most often blamed for not providing sufficient financial assistance. In reality, the college aid officer is your best friend. Most are very knowledgeable about federal law and regulations, they are invaluable to assist in financial planning, they charge nothing for their services, and most importantly, they care about helping people receive the maximum amount of aid for which they are qualified. Most aid officers belong to a strong and influential national association that in past years has been instrumental in bringing about major reform within Title IV federal programs.

As an aid officer, I always tried to determine a student’s need in a fair and equitable manner. Families, on the other hand, have the responsibility to read the information that is provided to them; and to contribute to their students’ educations to the extent they are financially able.

No student should be denied a college education because of cost. By working together, every student can reach his or her full potential.

John E. Beacon is dean of the Office of Enrollment Management at the University of Maine.