This handbook shows how families in various income groups manage to pay for college. The handbook is based on the real experiences of a large number of actual families, as described by national surveys. To find out exactly what it would cost to attend a particular college, the student would have to apply for financial aid, but this guide gives some idea about what to expect. The guide discusses why students pay different amounts for college and provides some illustrative examples of how people manage to pay for college. Information tables show some college prices and aid figures for public and private 2- and 4-colleges. An explanation of expected family contribution and a discussion of borrowing are included. Technical notes describe the surveys on which these data are based. Some other sources of information are listed. (Contains 11 tables and 14 references.) (SLD)