Broadly conceptualized, federal-state partnerships refer to collaborations between the federal government and states to create or implement policy. In the higher education policy arena, such partnerships have the potential to transform how higher education is funded and regulated, making college more affordable and more accessible to a larger number of students. To prompt states to invest more of their own dollars in higher education--and thereby reduce the cost burden for students--federal policy can provide funding for states to increase their financial investments in higher education. Federal-state partnerships have become a fairly common topic in conversations about college affordability and the federal government's role in higher education. Yet the academic literature lacks a broader conceptual analysis of how federal-state partnerships function in the higher education policy arena. The purpose of this analysis is to understand the forms and functions of federal-state partnerships in higher education policy and to advance a typology of such partnerships. This analysis also considers the roles that local governments and higher education institutions have played in federal-state partnerships, as they are important policy actors in the sector.