As college costs continue to soar, families across America are confronting a financial burden they find difficult if not impossible to manage alone. Existing programs like student loans are unable to address a problem of this scope. The search for a method to encourage savings for college without drawing on limited public resources has led to a new investment idea: prepayment of tuition. Although difficult to implement, prepayment plans have the potential to totally restructure higher education finance. The principal advantages of state, national, and commercial savings plans are reviewed, then compared with state and national prepayment plans. Helping families save for higher education is a crucial issue facing policy makers and higher education officials. If parents can be encouraged to create "new" savings for future college expenses, higher education will benefit while the nation's perilously low savings rate will be transfused. National and commercial savings plans offer alternatives, although somewhat unsatisfactorily. A well-structured national prepayment plan is essential in order to bring the nation's college tuition crisis in check. Contains four references. (SM)