College can seem out of reach for many low-income students. Too often they believe college is unaffordable and unattainable. It is no surprise then that students from the bottom socioeconomic quartile are eight times less likely to earn a bachelor's degree than students from the top socioeconomic quartile (7.4% versus 60%). Colleges and universities have a role to play in educating low-income students about how to pay for college. This brief offers 11 best practices to institutions to help students pay for college and stay in school. These strategies are organized into three categories: (1) clarifying financial information; (2) easing the financial burden; and (3) filling in financial aid gaps. Specifically, the authors discuss how schools can provide students with better information to help them make more informed choices, to make going to college more affordable, and to understand how financial aid programs work so that they can maximize the aid they receive. [For the executive summary, see ED587379.]