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Now, as much as ever, students must have a college plan that will assist them in paying the huge cost of college tuition. Earning a scholarship, getting admitted into a highly selective college that offers needs-based financial aid can make all of the difference. However, the students who will find it most difficult to afford college are also the students who are among the least likely students to have the appropriate plan.

According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education June 2011 Policy Alert:

• College tuition at both 2-year and 4-year colleges is outpacing family income
• Students’ financial-aid packages are not keeping pace with tuition costs
• 44 percent of low-income students attend community college while only 15 percent of high-income students do
• Community Colleges account for approximately 40 percent of all postsecondary enrollment
• Graduation rates at community colleges are among the lowest

The most likely students to attend community college are:

• Students from low-income families
• First in their family to attend college
• From underrepresented racial or ethnic group
• 38 percent of students whose parents did not graduate from college attend community college while only 20 percent of students whose parents graduated from college attend community college
• 50 percent of Hispanic students; 31 percent of Black students; and 28 percent of White students attend community college
• In Arizona, California, Illinois, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Texas, over 50 percent of Black and Hispanic students attend community college
• None of these states graduate as many as half of its community college students