The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the learning patterns of higher education students from Spain and three Latin-American countries (Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela). For this purpose Vermunt's Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) was translated into Spanish and tested. The participants were 456 undergraduates enrolled in a teacher education programme who completed the ILS and a set of questions about their academic performance, personal background and university experience. The data were analysed using reliability and factor analyses, analysis of variance and structural equation modelling. The results showed significant differences in mean ILS scores and factor structures between students from different countries. Academic performance was explained to a significant degree by some ILS scales about learning patterns. The results were interpreted within a cross-cultural framework, focusing on differences reported up to date between Latin-American and Spanish students versus Western and Asian students.