This paper offers ideas towards a solution of some of the problems that arise due to the extension of higher education to an ever wider range of students: especially student drop-out. It suggests that, as far as is practical, the design and delivery of higher education should be based upon the major changes or transitions which the students undergo. After a definition of "transition" the paper discusses four major examples: transitions in knowledge, understanding and skills; autonomy; approaches to learning; social and cultural integration and the student's self-concept. The paper ends by drawing out some of the broader implications of this approach for the design and delivery of higher education.