Globalisation is transforming the international marketplace and accelerating unprecedented socio-economic, cultural, social, political and educational change across the globe. This global transformation has served as a catalyst for increasing deliberation, dialogue and consensus among government, business and higher education to create, attract and retain a highly competitive workforce that contributes to a national economic infrastructure that is sustainable, renewable and responsive to shifts in the global marketplace. At the forefront of these deliberations is the role of universities, domestic and foreign, in creating this competitive edge for nations. The practice of cross-border higher education is growing rapidly and is likely to increase in the future to serve a diversified global marketplace. Today, university leaders are redefining the international dimensions of their institutions in response to globalisation. Internationalism, viewed as a major response to globalisation, evolves in colleges and universities in diverse ways and for varying institutional reasons. In this article, the author examines global trends in internationalism and cross-border higher education and considers the conceptual basis of internationalism for the modern university. The author discusses the driving forces of the international transformation for higher education.