[Rick Lee]

Will $30k even help her college tuition costs? Plenty of schools charge more than that for one year. So how short is she for her school's tuition? If interest on college loans doesn't start accruing until graduation, seems you'd be better off getting loans and paying them off just before the interest starts. That way you have a few years for the $30k to grow wherever you invest it, assuming you really leave it alone for that time.