UTMA

December is a hectic month for college-bound parents and their students. For students who have applied for an early admission decision, they will likely hear the results this month while also working to complete their applications to other colleges or universities.

 (public domain comic from 1902's A Harvard Alphabet) 

On Thursday, the first big pieces of the new health-care overhaul took effect. Among other things, the rules mandate that insurance companies offer coverage to adult children until the age of 26 and devote at least 80% of their revenue to health-care costs.But one major player was notably absent from these new rule changes: colleges. They have managed to sidestep, at least for now, the regulatory clampdown that has sent hospitals, insurers and corporations scrambling.

  Sallie Mae's How America Pays for College 2013 came out recently. Like previous years (the report has been published annually since 2008), it shows interesting trends on both the cost of college and how families are responding to dealing with costs. Below, we've compliled a few highlights. Sallie Mae Graphic on Sources of College Payment for 2012-2013 Academic Year