This issue of "Exchanges" highlights a number of issues in the challenge to align appropriations, tuition and financial aid (AFTA) policy. Two distinct trends in the nature of the American student population are identified: significant demographic shifts and the emerging necessity of serving adult learners. These shifts are prompting state policymakers to reexamine education policies and devise new ways to address postsecondary education financing and financial aid issues. During program leadership institutes, several experts provided insight into how states might better align appropriations, tuition, and financial aid policies. Examples from Colorado, Indiana, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Virginia are cited. Through the "Changing Direction" project, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and its partners hope to assist state policymakers as they create state higher education appropriations, tuition, and financial aid policy that is more integrated and based on more informed decision-making. Intended to expose important constituencies to critical issues in higher education that affect access and success for all students, the leadership institutes are an integral component of the project. [The "Changing Direction: Integrating Higher Education Financial Aid and Financing Policy," a project launched in November 2001 by Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its partners--the American Council on Education's Center for Policy Analysis, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the State Higher Education Executive Officers was funded by Lumina Foundation for Education.]