A college degree is the key to opportunity and economic success in America today, a fact that has brought new attention to questions of college access and affordability. Footing the Tuition Bill explores fundamental questions about the purposes of federal student loans, how well traditional arrangements work, and how innovations might offer guidance for rethinking the design of financial aid. This collection of studies examines why the private postsecondary lending market has emerged, what it looks like, and the possibilities and tensions it poses for the future efforts to ensure that the doors of college are open to all Americans.