Based on a review of the literature and ongoing research, this four-part monograph provides a composite profile of the enrollment and financial status of the nation's community colleges. After introductory material describing research methodology, Part I analyzes community college enrollment by sex, examines the increase in the number of adult students, and discusses the relative participation of full- and part-time students. Part II discusses prospective student enrollment behavior and educational needs based on needs assessment survey reports and econometric models designed to identify, through regression analysis, enrollment influences. Reasons for attending a community college as opposed to other post-secondary institutions are discussed, as are the problems involved in using surveys and modeling for predicting enrollment. Part III examines financial aid at community colleges and discusses the difficulties of defining and measuring an institution's "fair share," the dearth of empirical data on the distribution of financial aid to community college students, and the management of financial aid at the colleges. Finally, Part IV reviews the history of community college finance and examines current fiscal problems, criteria for assessing community college financial systems, tuition policies, community service funding patterns, and the impact of tax limitations. Data tables and an extensive bibliography are included. (JP)