Through an exploratory case study of four Australian universities this article finds that foreign market entry strategies are shaped by prestige-seeking motivations and a culture of risk aversion. From the market selection, entry mode and higher education literature, a conceptual model, embedded with four propositions, is presented. The model sees market selection and entry mode as inter-dependent decisions which are influenced by manager and university motives, risk aversion and host government constraints in a gradual process of internationalisation. Among our key findings are that prestige is the key driver for university internationalisation and, due to a high degree of risk aversion, universities prefer zero-equity modes unless risk can be minimised or accommodated through suitable hedging strategies. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)