Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) is seen as an intriguing case. Often described as a "miniature" of the Balkans due to its demographic pattern, the country has been exposed to a number of dramatic events during the past fifteen years. Today, international actors administer it as a sort of "semi-protectorate" concept, the definition of which is unclear even to its designers. Consequently, most of the reforms that took place and still take place at BiH's universities are part of an agenda funded by international agencies. At the same time, one of the main critics of these international aid programs was that better appreciation of the existing universities' structures is important in achieving the effective reforms (Temple 2002). One may argue that the way out for BiH higher education institutions is to copy what has been done in other countries. But is this the only and, even more importantly, sufficient way out? Recognizing this need for clarification, the aim of this article is two-fold: first, it discusses key features of the present BiH higher education system, and second, it addresses two issues seen as prevailing with regard to BiH higher education development, namely governance and quality. (Contains 9 endnotes.)