The question about the optimal structure of the higher education system is anything but new. For the last 50 years there has been a search for the right mix of the equivalence and diversity in the system. On the one hand, higher education institutions should offer equivalent academic standards; at the same time, there is a need for diversity among higher education institutions due to different expectations of students and other stakeholders, institutional profiles and capacities. In this article Maarja Beerkens-Soo and Hans Vossensteyn deal with Higher education issues and trends from an international perspective.