OECD countries differ significantly in the way spending on tertiary education is shared between public and private sources of funding, and in the financial support they provide to students. Striking the right balance between providing sufficient support to institutions and maintaining access and equity is challenging. In countries with more progressive tax regimes, students tend to pay low or no tuition fees and often have access to generous public subsidies for tertiary education, but in turn face high income tax rates. In countries with high tuition fees, student financial support systems combining means-tested grants with loans with income-contingent repayments can be an efficient way of promoting access and equity while sharing the costs of tertiary education between taxpayers and students.