This report describes how students from the major racial/ethnic groups and of different genders pay for college, identifying background characteristics that influence how students finance their education. Data for the study comes from the 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:96), conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. The report is organized in two broad sections: race/ethnicity and gender. Each section opens with a summary that compares students by background characteristics (gender, age, dependency status), financial characteristics (annual income, price choices, grants, and net price), and financing choices. Following the summaries are profiles for each student category: white students, African-American students, Hispanic/Latino students, Asian-American students, American Indian students, women, and men. The study finds some similarities that cut across race and gender lines: white or minority, rich or poor, male or female, most students attend college part time and work long hours while they are enrolled and most work in lieu of taking student loans. The study argues that combining working with part-time attendance is self-defeating because research has shown that these students are less likely to complete a degree than those who maintain a full course load. (CH)