In the United States, postsecondary educational attainment positively correlates to the probability of a person being employed and the amount of money they earn (U.S. Department of Labor, 2018). Financial aid programs attempt to help students afford, remain in, and finish their postsecondary pursuits, but Levin (1989) asserted some forms of assistance produce more significant results than others. On one hand, researchers have found the more financial aid a student receives, the higher their chances are of being retained year over year or completing their studies (Bettinger, 2015; Castleman & Long, 2016; Millea et al., 2018; Upton, 2016). On the other hand, researchers have found financial aid to have little to no impact on retention or completion (Carruthers & Özek, 2016; Hawley & Rork, 2013; Welch, 2014). Further investigation was necessary to find and promote financial aid programs that can unequivocally improve postsecondary educational attainment. Although researchers have studied various financial aid programs, the financial aid fee at Florida's public postsecondary 2-year institutions stands out for its uniqueness and vagueness. This exceptional program is a mandatory charge students pay, but it is also financial assistance awarded to students. Florida's state colleges have considerable discretion to choose how much financial aid fees they charge and how to use the resulting revenue to award financial assistance (Florida K–20 Education Code Act, 2002a; Florida K–20 Education Code Act, 2002b). This dissertation was significant because it sought to fill an apparent gap in the literature by questioning how Florida's state colleges implement the financial aid fee—from both the fee and financial assistance perspectives—to address affordability, retention, and graduation problems. A mixed-method design was used to answer the central research question of how Florida's public state colleges implement the financial aid fee. Research was divided into three stages to triangulate findings. In Stage 1, public financial aid fee information available on the internet was collected from all 28 of Florida state colleges. Stage 2 involved surveying financial aid and business office staff from 25 of Florida's state colleges. Finally, a purposefully selected sample of 12 respondents from the second phase whose colleges met predetermined peer analysis criteria was interviewed in a semistructured format during Stage 3. Results suggested many college officials have not assessed, adjusted, or thought about their financial aid fee implementation for years. Those who have are sometimes suppressed by unwritten rules imposed by legislators. Accordingly, Florida's public state colleges seem to be implementing the financial aid fee in an uncomplicated and unconscious manner. Top-level executives appear practically responsible for financial aid fee decision making, despite stakeholders with different titles located within various departments being involved with implementation. Indicators insinuate athletics plays a pivotal role at numerous colleges, but politics, mission and vision, return on investment, "large rocks," "doughnut holes," and logistics are salient financial aid fee considerations. State politicians are advised to rescind unwritten tuition and fee rules, amend existing financial aid fee statutes, and create authority for colleges to charge a distinct athletic fee. Institutional administrators should improve financial aid fee communication and branding, evaluate program efficacy, and include a wider array of stakeholders in implementation processes. Researchers are asked to expand upon this study's foundational implementation knowledge by causally investigating financial aid fee outcomes.