<p>Do most people use up what they can from their college fund before resorting to loans, or do they try to spread the fund over 4 years, and supplement it with loans from the start.</p>
<p>We personally took certain loans (Perkins and Subsidized Stafford) and then took the rest from the college fund for our older D. There is not much in it, so it does not count as much of an asset.</p>
<p>It depends on how much is in the fund, and what type of fund it is. If it is negatively impacting financial aid, I would use the college fund first. If you know you are going to need loans anyway, I would take at least some of the best value loans (such as subsidized) each year, since they have maximum values per year.</p>