More and more college graduates are regretful.

A recent survey by Fidelity found 40% of graduates would now make different decisions about their education if they could. Half of college grads polled by Gallup wish they'd studied something else or attended another institution.

Graduates' regrets are mostly financial, Fidelity's research revealed. "People would have considered costs more heavily," said John Boroff, the director of retirement and college leadership at Fidelity.

One year at a nonprofit, four-year private college, including tuition, room and board, currently costs nearly $49,000, compared with $22,000 in 2000. Meanwhile, after accounting for inflation, the median family income today —$59,000 — has barely budged over the last two decades.

"Family income has been flat, so their ability to pay for college has not changed even as college costs have increased," said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of SavingForCollege.com.

To fill the gap, more people lean on student loans. Nearly half of borrowers worry they'll be in debt forever, Fidelity found.

To make matters worse, starting salaries for new college graduates are up less than 1% over the last two years, remaining at around $50,000. And a decade after leaving school, more than 1 in 5 college graduates still are working in a job that doesn't require a degree.

The good news is there are ways, even amid rising costs, to make college less financially painful.

Only around 1 in 5 families have a 529 savings account. Those investment accounts, which are named after Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, are offered through states to encourage people to save for college. Withdrawals put toward qualifying education expenses are tax-free.