Presented in this paper are the top 10 issues most likely to affect public higher education across the 50 states in 2009, in the view of the state policy analysis and research staff at American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). While numerous topics shape state higher education policy, each affecting the issues of affordability and quality, the focus is on the overarching issue of college access. This synopsis is informed by a scan of state policy activities of the past year, an analysis of trends, and consideration of events that will likely shape the policy landscape. Some issues are perennial in nature, while others reflect attention to near-term circumstances (i.e., current economic turmoil) as well as recent federal and state policy actions. The influence of any given issue will, of course, vary across individual states. The top ten issues are: (1) states' fiscal crises; (2) tuition prices and tuition policy; (3) state student grant aid programs; (4) enrollment capacity; (5) implementation of Higher Education Opportunity Act; (6) the incoming Obama administration; (7) college readiness; (8) veterans' education; (9) undocumented students; and (10) sustainability.