This article gives an overview and analysis of structural changes of higher education systems in Western Europe, and how the various countries have changed their systems over the last four decades. Emphasis is placed on the development of a non‐university higher education sector in most countries. The question to be discussed is the extent to which the various countries converge to a common structural model for the organization of higher education – either a binary system which is the most common model today, or a unified but hierarchical system as in the United Kingdom.