What do we mean when we say that a school is independent? This article, through a case study of non-state higher education providers in Kachinland, Northern Myanmar, looks at the ways in which these schools negotiate their place within both communities, states and economies. It is found that these alternative higher education (AHE) institutions cannot be reduced to any one logic of education or development and as such may be thought of as assemblages of multiple logics. This article thus contributes to the literature on alternative higher education institutions that are formed in opposition to the norms of the state and the ways they negotiate their position within networks of power and political contexts.