One of a series of studies related to the Delphi research project: "Policy Instruments for Higher Education in the Western Europe of the Future", this paper presents interviews by a Dutch researcher with 15 authorities on U.S. higher education and the written contributions of two other experts: M. Peterson, E. Hines, M. Gade, G. Rhoades, A. McGuinness, F. Volkwein, E. Boyer, R. Geiger, T. Manning, P. Smith, T. Marchese, P. Hutchings, D. Bok, J. Folger, A. Tomlinson, C. Kerr, and E. El Khawas. Each of the interviews touches on some or all of the following topics: the present situation and expectations of the U.S. higher education system; specific characteristics of higher education in the U.S. in particular autonomy, multiplicity of funding sources, diversity, competition and accessibility; the federal government's role; the state government's role; methods for assessing teaching quality; accessibility of higher education; institutional behavior, in particular adaptability and responsiveness to new social demands; the role of faculty; the role of institutional mission statements; and the importance of public sector education. (JB)