Although a majority of parents nationwide want their children to attend college, many of them (particularly those with household incomes between $25,000 and $75,000) believed they could not afford to pay for that education at a four-year college.

A survey conducted by Collegiate Funding Services earlier this year, "Planning and Paying for Your Teenager's College Education" revealed that more than 40% of all the parents polled felt that college for their children was not an option they could afford--and that number rose to 56% among parents with hosehold incomes between $25,000 and $75,000. In all, the survey indicated that "half a million households feel that the rising cost of tuition would contribute to their decision to forego a four-year college education all together," reported J. Barry Morrow, the CEO of Collegeiate Funding Services.

On a related note, the survey also found that one third of the parents surveyed indicated that the cost of tuition was an important factor in college selection and more than a quarter of the parents whose children will not be attending a four-year college said that it was the cost of rising tuition that led them to that decision.

Part of the problem, according to the survey, is that a large percentage (about one third) of the parents had little knowledge about the various financial options available to help parents pay for their children's college education; this was especially true of middle-class parents.

Tip: Although these parents were not available of it, there are billions of dollars in financial available to heop their children pay for college. Here's how to find out about this funding: check out Reference Service Press's line of financial aid directories, particularly the High School Senior's Guide, which is aimed at middle-class students interested in attending college.