Introduction: This paper seeks to establish basic dimensions on which to construct a system of indicators for evaluating university quality, from the perspective of pupils, and within the framework offered by the European Space for Higher Education. Method: The population for this study was defined as the set of students enrolled at the Universities of Salamanca (USAL) and Cordova (UCO) in the academic year 2004/2005, a total of 45,751 students. The two institutions are located in diverse geographies within the territory of Spain, and each has a distinct identity. The sample obtained comprised a total of 1167 subjects, stratified as a function of branch of specialization: health sciences, humanities, legal-social studies, and technical programs. A questionnaire was designed to collect information using a protocol of scale-based evaluation items. Application of factorial analysis allowed us to establish basic dimensions from which to determine different evaluation indicators. Results: Results yielded a total of 14 factors. Those which stand out as most powerful and useful are student satisfaction, academic and professional competencies, evaluation of academic performance, virtual teaching and the advising process. Discussion: The various tests demonstrate that quality is defined first and foremost by student satisfaction, a result which ratifies the logic behind models of institutional evaluation being implemented in Spain. (Contains 18 tables.)