The COVID-19 pandemic has created and will continue to create uncertainty in all facets of everyday life, exacerbating current challenges -- and generating new ones -- for every sector of the economy, including postsecondary education. As the pandemic continues, postsecondary education faces increasing pressures as concerns about health and well-being, decreasing individual and family earnings, and questions about quality come to the fore. This Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to various facets of the transition from secondary to postsecondary education, now complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This Policy Brief draws on four principles of redesigning state financial aid to better support the Classes of 2020 and 2021 as they seek to enter college or university during the pandemic. It focuses on the populations already underserved in the nation's education system. The series -- which builds upon "A State Policymaker's Guide to Equitable Transitions in the COVID-19 Era" (ED606369) -- provides actionable steps and examples for state policymakers to consider as they address the transition from high school to college and the workforce.