As postsecondary education has become nearly essential for getting a decent job and entering the middle class, it has become financially out of reach for many of America's young people. Costs have risen exponentially, while financial-aid policies have increasingly abandoned students with the greatest financial need. This means that students and their families now pay (or borrow) a lot more for a college degree, and increasing numbers of students work at least part time. All of these factors increase the risk that more young people from low- to moderate-income families -- who are disproportionately African American, Hispanic, and first-generation college students -- will enroll only to drop out because of financial constraints. These trends are most evident at community colleges.