This manual was designed to provide structural guidelines for financial aid program operations and administration at the Community College of Baltimore. Topics discussed include: the philosophy of student aid at an open door college; the objectives of the student financial aid office; staff development and administrative improvement; organization, administration, and staffing; facility requirements; the financial aid programs funded by USOE, the state of Maryland, and the college; deferred payment plans; short-term student loans; the qualifications and responsibilities of various financial aid administrators; the procedures for processing awards and for determining the degree of student need; auditing procedures and record keeping. The essential functions of the student aid office are specified including recruitment of students for the college, dissemination of financial aid information, communication with federal and state agencies and with local college officials, articulation with financial aid offices at four-year institutions, maintenance and expansion of existing programs and solicitation of new programs, and student budget counseling. Guidelines for the construction of student budgets in all major cities of the United States, the financial aid officers' code of ethics, the financial aid calendar for the college, and a bibliography are also provided. (DC)