The average annual cost for a full-time, four-year undergraduate education at a private college or university, for example, has jumped from $7,759 in 1983-84 to $16,645 today.

Other college costs such as textbooks and the always popular pizza have climbed steadily. An average English textbook retails for about $25 today, compared to $14 in 1984. An average pizza check has jumped from about $3 to approximately $10 in the last ten years.

One of the few expenses that has actually gone down, however, is the cost of a call home. Long-distance calling charges have dropped an average of 66 percent in the last ten years, according to a Stanford University study.

A ten-minute direct-dialed AT&T long-distance call from New York to Los Angeles, for example, has dropped from $4.60 in 1984 to as low as $1.20 today with AT&T True Reach Savings discounts.

To save on calls home, students and parents should remember that calling card calls are less expensive than collect calls. Direct-dialed calls are less expensive than calling card calls, especially if you're part of a long-distance savings plan.

College students who want to establish their credit can apply for the AT&T Universal Card, which is offered to eligible college students with no annual fee for life. The card can be used for credit card purchases, calling card calls and ATM cash access.

As a bonus, students can take advantage of a free credit education program and are automatically enrolled in a USAir travel program, which offers them discounted fares and Frequent Traveler points.

Under AT&T Universal Card's Safe Purchase Program, covered purchases charged to the Universal Card are protected against accidental damage and theft during the time students are enrolled in college for up to four years.(NAPSI)