There is a battle raging right now about the usefulness of a graduate degree, or even of any college degree at all. Joining the fray right now is the online degree space.

A number of colleges and universities offer online degree programs, and there are online schools completely in the Internet education space. My husband teaches online classes for Utah State University, and one of them is a graduate-level course mostly aimed at teachers working on their master’s degrees.

While my husband’s students find it useful to continue their educations online, since the master’s degree will come with a pay increase, not everyone is in the same boat.

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In recent years, there has been discussion over whether a college education is worth it. Indeed, in some cases, it turns out that going for a graduate degree might not be worth the cost.

Recently, though, even the value of the bachelor’s degree is being called into question. In fact, a recent study from the Center for Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University indicates that an associate’s degree might be more valuable than a bachelor’s degree — at least at the outset.

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The recent fiscal cliff deal has gotten a lot of play related to the tax increases. The fiscal cliff deal (which only addresses tax issues and not spending issues) didn’t stop the payroll tax cut from expiring, and it results in higher taxes for couples that are married filing jointly making $450,000 and singles making $400,000.

However, the news isn’t all higher taxes. The fiscal cliff tax deal also includes some tax breaks for higher education. If you are sending someone to college, here are some of the tax benefits that the fiscal cliff deal has in store for you:

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Getting into college is only half the battle. Getting through is another challenge. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that only about half of first-time full-time undergrad students at public schools graduate in six years or less. While students at private nonprofit schools fared slightly better—65 percent turned the tassel in six years—only 28 percent of those at for-profit colleges graduated in the same time frame.

These colleges ensure that students get the courses they need to graduate. Here are the public colleges with the highest four-year graduation rates according to data compiled by The Chronicle for Higher Education, with tips for all students on graduating on time. We provide average net prices to see the cost of graduating on time. The good news is none of these schools even come close to some of the most expensive colleges in America.

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Forget saving for higher education. Try paying for daycare first. According to Child Care Aware of America, a nonprofit dedicated to improving access to childcare, the average cost of care for a four year old is higher than the average cost of tuition and fees at a public college in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Here are five states where daycare is more expensive than college and advice on what parents who are saving for both can do.

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Paying for college is hard enough when tuition price are steady. Throw in a tuition hike and the extra costs can be game changing for families. According to the College Board, tuition and fees at public four-year colleges increased 8.3 percent, on average, between the 2011-2012 school year and the year before, but ten states saw jumps of more than 10 percent. Here are five states with the largest tuition hikes according to the College Board, and what to do if you’re a victim.

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The one thing that cars and colleges have in common is that their sticker prices are useless. Some of the most expensive schools have equally large financial aid packages that can eliminate college costs. Instead of relying on the advertised price, students can get a clearer idea of what they’ll actually pay by researching each school’s net price, which includes an estimate of their future financial aid package. Using data from the Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center and updating it with more recent net price figures from the National Center for Education Statistics, we’ve determined that these schools have the highest net prices.

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When it comes to saving for college, one of your options is to open a 529 plan. These plans come with tax advantages, and use the power of compound interest to help build up money for use in college.

Most of us are aware that it’s possible to use the money from the plan to pay for qualified expenses at a number of colleges and universities in the United States. As long as the school is listed on the as “eligible,” it’s possible to use money from the 529 plan, without penalty, to pay for qualified expenses.

But it’s not just colleges and universities in the United States that qualify. You may be able to pay costs at other educational institutions with money from your 529 plan.

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