The aim of this study is to explore and understand how different perspectives of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) plays out as approaches of higher education in an international comparative context. The study is a comparative qualitative case study and has been conducted based on WIL literature that generated certain themes to see how different perspectives on WIL plays out in an international context. Through qualitative interviews based on identified WIL-approaches, 11 employees in total at Central University of Technology in South Africa and University West in Sweden constitute the empirical part of the study. The study shows that uniform definition of WIL is insufficient to capture the width of the concept. By identifying strains of WIL, approaches appeared at both universities implying variations, followed by different ways of implementing and value WIL. This study concludes putting emphasise on WIL- approaches, higher education institutions can, in an informed way, derive what one refers to in higher extent. This study advice HEIs wanting to scale up or deepening their work with WIL to address approaches to avoid unfeasible or avoidable complexity in their organisation. If a generic approach is used it could lead to a lack of clarity of the purpose and aim of WIL and a misalignment of the structured needed and what is required to reach the aim. By clarifying which strategic choices are made and why, decisions, exchange of experience, development or scaling up can be more informed.