How Are Countries around the World Supporting Students in Higher Education? Education Indicators in Focus. No. 2

Overview & Synopsis

Education Indicators in Focus is a recurring series of briefs that highlight specific indicators in OECD's Education at a Glance that are of particular interest to policy makers and practitioners. They provide a detailed look into current issues in pre-primary, primary and secondary education, higher education, and adult outcomes from a global perspective, and contain an engaging mix of text, tables and charts that describe the international context of the most pressing questions in education policy and practice. This brief reports that OECD countries in which students can benefit from sizeable financial support have above-average levels of access to university-level education, even when tuition fees are comparatively high. Student financial support systems that offer loans with income-contingent repayment to all students combined with means-tested grants can be an effective way to promote access and equity while sharing the costs of higher education between the state and students. An increasing number of OECD countries are charging higher tuition fees for international students, and many also differentiate them by field of study.