The limited availability of college counseling for many students, especially those from low-income families, means that advising and ready assistance with each stage of the college search and application process is lacking. The research summarized in this brief indicates that the deficiencies in the quality and quantity of college counseling available to low-income students helps to explain the differences observed in application behavior and subsequent college choices between low income students and their more affluent peers. The primary barriers to more widely available and effective counseling are rooted in school finances, counselor training programs, and competing demands for counselors' time. One set of solutions provides additional funding and infrastructure for college counseling, often in the public schools themselves. Other solutions provide the necessary counseling in other forms, including in nonprofit programs that provide after-school services.