Whether your car still has your high school graduation tassel hanging from the rearview mirror, or a bumper sticker on the back reading “Soccer Mom,” entering the world of higher education is exciting. In other words, you're in for a ride regardless of your age or how long it's been since you sat behind a desk other than the one in your office or cracked open a textbook other than your oldest son's three-pound pre-calculus tome.

Unfortunately, higher education brings more than just excitement – it can also bring financial stress. Classes at colleges and universities these days are expensive, and an entire semester of them? Plus textbooks and other materials? Well, most students must rely on scholarships, grants, and loans to get by, especially if they plan to go the whole nine yards – the two to four years it takes to get a degree.

As if that weren't enough, the cost of higher education isn't the only thing that can bring financial stress. Regardless of your age, you need health insurance, and since many college and university students either work part-time jobs that don't offer health insurance, or don't work at all due to school schedules, finding affordable health insurance isn't an easy task. But, it can be done.

Believe it or not, most colleges and universities care about their students' health. Many of them offer low cost or free on-campus medical services. Some universities even provide health insurance plans for students working beyond the standard four-year bachelor's degree.

However, these services may not be the solution if you have a family to insure, as well. One option is to use your school's health services or insurance for yourself, and purchase health insurance for your family. This is cheaper than the next option, which is to just buy health insurance for the entire family.

Higher education is important to you; so is your health. Luckily, it's possible to have both.