The article considers the most important trend of the modern university - the internationalization of higher education, its foundations, goals, forms, directions and ways of introducing it into the activities of the university. Reflected as the classic directions of internationalization, such as the mobility of students and academic professors, the export of educational services, and modern ones - entering the world rankings of universities, effective collaboration of economic and scientific units in the domestic and foreign markets, etc. The role of the strategy of internationalization higher education in a global competitive environment.