According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, tuition increased more than 34 percent between 2008 and 2015. State spending on higher education remains well below pre-recession levels. As a result, millions of low-income students, particularly students of color, are struggling to afford postsecondary education. Forty years ago, the maximum Pell Grant award covered three-quarters of the cost. Today, the maximum award ($5,920) covers only 29 percent of the total cost of attending a four-year public institution, forcing low-income students to pay and borrow more money. This report describes the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) principles for college affordability: (1) Protect and increase investments in federal financial aid programs that provide grant aid to low-income students and make college more affordable and accessible; (2) Support federal programs and policies that help low-income students move along pathways out of poverty, including students of color, student parents, returning citizens and incarcerated adults, adult learners, independent students, Dreamers, and young adults who have experienced disconnection from school and work; (3) Build federal-state partnerships that give incentives to states and institutions to reduce college costs and reinvest in state financial aid programs targeting low-income students; and (4) Support financial aid eligibility policies that respond to the needs of low-income students attending college part-time and less than half-time as well as give them ample time to earn their degrees.