The development of institutions of higher education along the northern border of Mexico reflects the growth of the border region as a whole. Traditionally, higher education in Mexico was concentrated in Mexico City. The settlement and rapid growth of the border region, however, increased the demand for higher education. Its expansion, then, has allowed students to stay within their home region to be educated and later employed there, contributing to the development of the region. In recent decades, northern Mexico has experienced the accelerated development of higher education and its diversification. Although studies within the border region have traditionally focused on issues relating specifically to the Mexican side, the study of binational issues is on the rise. In contrast, Mexico's southern border has endured a quite different trend in the expansion of higher education. Its few institutions were founded much later and have been greatly neglected by the central government. The relative abundance of institutions along the northern border can be attributed to its economic importance to the central government. This study looks at the extension of higher education to the northern border in terms of national regional development and policies, social and political movements, and the move to understand the complexities of this border region.