This article investigates aspects of policy transfer and educational borrowing in German higher education in the wake of the Bologna reforms of higher education in Europe. It examines the origins and results of the Bologna reform process in Germany. Focussing on teacher education, it highlights inconsistencies between political legitimation, reform discourse and objectives, the actual framework and its implementation. Based on an empirical case study, it explores the implementation processes and different institutional stakeholders' perspectives and understanding of reform ideas, concepts and tools. It discusses how these influenced the way stakeholders acted during the implementation process and the particular effects of their actions on approaches to teaching, learning and studying within the re-designed study programmes.