Financial viability in postsecondary education is considered as part of the Postsecondary Education Core Design Project sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. Financial viability is defined within the scope of postsecondary education, and key policy issues at the national, state, and institutional levels are identified. Implications for data production and recommendations for ongoing statistical work are addressed. Types of data to be collected for financial viability studies include student enrollment and financial aid data, institutional financial status data, and academic program and activity data. Research needs at the federal level concern: access, choice, and pricing; productivity in postsecondary education; the cost of complying with federal and state legislation and administrative regulations; and capital requirements. At the state level it is recommended that studies be undertaken that describe how the various state planning procedures are functioning and how the states are dealing with the public-private college and university issue. Sample data collection aids, a brief summary of the literature, and an annotated bibliography are appended. (SW)