The article is devoted to the analysis of the efficiency of higher education funding from the perspective of higher education applicants (cost of education) and from the perspective of the state (budget expenditures, investments in preparation of specialists).The article contains the main indicators of socioeconomic development of the OECD countries and Ukraine. The analysis has shown that in Ukraine the amount of higher education expenditures as a percentage of GDP has an average value compared to the OECD countries, while this amount in monetary terms is significantly lower than in other countries.The efficiency of higher education costs for the individual and expenditures for the state in the OECD countries and in Ukraine have been evaluated. The efficiency of individual costs of higher education is calculated using the discounted cash flow method, applied to the cost of education and the difference in wages between qualified and unqualified personnel. The efficiency of public spending on higher education (investment in the training of specialists) is calculated using the discounted cash flow method applied to the share of public spending on higher education and GDP growth generated by labor with better skills. The results of the calculations have shown that the efficiency of state expenditures on higher education is higher than the efficiency of individual costs.