This Handbook provides a systematic overview of Higher Education (HE) Governance around the world. It features chapters written by researchers in the field of comparative and international education (CIE) based in 35 different countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Each chapter has the same structure, with subsections on the local cultural and policital context, a historical overview, national- and institution-level governance frameworks, challenges, threats and opportunities. This structure allows comparative reading of academic governance across countries and continents, revealing the pressures exerted on and challenges facing HE governance in today’s highly contested global higher education landscape. Key themes and issues covered across the chapters include, political, policy and economic influences on HE governance, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 4 in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic, digital learning, climate change, marketization, globalization, international studies and public vs private institutions.