At least one million community-college students are denied access to federally guaranteed student loans because their institutions do not participate in the federal programs. This article describes the results of a study by the Project on Debt, a nonprofit advocacy group, which found that one in 10 community-college students, including one in five black students at such institutions, do not have access to federal student loans. That leaves few alternatives for students who need to borrow money for college. At the financial-aid offices of at least three community colleges that did not participate in federal loan programs, students were urged to look into alternative and private loans if they needed help to finance their education. However, financial-aid officers at the nearly 25 percent of community colleges that do not participate in federal loan programs say financially needy students can use federal Pell Grants to easily cover the colleges' low tuition rates.