Throughout the 1990s, transnational higher education, i.e. everything involving international student and teacher mobility, curricular exchanges and inter-institutional educational cooperation, has grown considerably and constitutes one of the most notable forces transforming higher education systems. This article documents the growth and diversification of transnational higher education and analyzes the strategies of various countries and higher education institutions, which can be spurred on by motives as diverse as mutual comprehension, improve quality and competitiveness of their higher education offer, attracting talents, the construction of a service export industry. It argues that the various forms of transnational higher education should continue to grow in the coming decades, whether there is international convergence or diversity of national strategies.