Editor's note: As the new college year revs up, Consumer Reports Money Blog devotes several days to the personal finance issues of college students. Today, we address some aspects of credit-card debt. In the days that follow, we'll feature the musings of several of our college-age summer interns on what they've learned about personal finance since leaving the nest.

Among the new credit card reform rules that kick in as of February 2010 are two provisions designed to help keep the under-21 crowd from getting themselves in over their head with credit card debt. 

It’s a growing problem,  especially on college campuses. Currently, 84 percent of college undergraduates have at least one credit card,  while  more than half carry four or more, according to the most recent survey by Sallie Mae, a leading originator of federally-insured student loans.

The average balance students carry is $3,173–higher than in any previous studies. Only 17 percent of students pay off balances each month, with the majority paying interest rates averaging 14 percent on their mounting debt load.

The new credit card reform rules will regulate aggressive marketing of credit cards to college students,  which have included offers of free T-shirts or I-Pods to lure them to sign up.  And as of February, under-21 consumers won’t be able to get a card unless they either have a co-signer or can document their ability to repay card debt.           

While building a good credit history is a smart move for students, the best way to do that is to shop for a credit card with no annual fee and use it to charge a recurring expense,  paying off the card bill on time and in full each month.

But be wary of pre-paid cards that may be marketed to students and others with a skimpy or poor credit history because this kind of plastic is likely to only get them in more hot water,  according to a new report from Consumers Union (click here to link). 

The report points out that consumers can end up paying a mountain of costly fees with pre-paid cards,  which are reloadable cards that usually carry Visa,  MasterCard or Discover logos and are marketed with slogans such as “The Checking Account alternative that lets you borrow money and builds credit.”–Andrea Rock