Moving forward, it is important to strengthen and build on these improvements. AASCU believes in a student-aid financing model heavily based on federal grants supplemented with a combination of state grants and institutional aid in order to cover a significant portion of the financial need for a low-income student attending a public institution. The remaining costs should attempt to exhaust federal loan resources, if necessary. This model is predicated on the premise that states and institutions should work to ensure affordable tuition via adequate state operating support and grant aid for students.