New Data on Saving for College

For 21 percent of Americans, saving for college for a child or children was the top savings priority in the last year, second only to saving for retirement (22 percent) as the first priority, according to a poll conducted by Sallie Mae and Gallup. Generally, the poll found stable rates of saving for college, which Sallie Mae said was a positive sign given the economic pressures placed on many families in the last year. Of those who are not saving for college at all, 18 percent said that they do not know how, and 28 percent said that they were not sure of the best savings options.