The 2013-18 West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission master plan, "Leading the Way: Access. Success. Impact" was developed to provide a programmatic framework and goals to enable the state's system of public four-year institutions to meet the educational needs of West Virginians. A state economy in flux with declining revenues and increased demands on developing a larger, highly educated and trained workforce has resulted in greater scrutiny on post-secondary education outcomes in the state. Education stakeholders, including publicly elected leadership, have developed greater expectations for West Virginia's public four-year colleges and universities. These expectations include institutions meeting multiple educational challenges simultaneously: expanding access, improving retention and on-time graduation, and increasing degrees in particular fields that match regional and statewide priorities. Beyond the development of the master plan and the facilitation of the compact process, the Commission's Division of Policy and Planning is offering an additional series of white papers that will address each major theme of the master plan. Each paper will elaborate on a particular theme, providing further insights into the Commission's vision in the focal area and sharing best practices. It is the intention of the Commission that these additional resources foster discourse among institutional administrators, faculty, staff, and students, enabling them to develop a common understanding of the challenges, goals, and the mechanisms necessary to meet them. Highlights include: (1) College access remains a priority for West Virginia. However, additional support is needed to help more students successfully transition to college; (2) GEARUP and other college-going outreach efforts have been successful, but more support is needed to help additional students develop college-going skills and prepare for the rigors of college-level work; (3) Low-income students will continue to make-up a large portion of in-state enrollment; (4) Student and institutional success can be furthered by providing assistance and information to students much earlier than the typical recruitment and admissions cycles; and (5) Along with other best practices, data analysis at the institutional level will be key to determine how best to proceed with access efforts. In West Virginia, access to post secondary education depends on three central factors: adequate preparation, accessible information, and feasible cost. [To access related reports in ERIC see: "Leading the Way: Access. Success. Impact. 2013-18 Master Plan," ED573068; "Leading the Way: Success. 2013-18 Master Plan," ED573072; and "Leading the Way: Impact. 2013-18 Master Plan," ED573080.]