The impact of increasing federal regulation on American universities is discussed based on an informal survey of senior academic and administrative officials in 13 public and private universities. As government regulation is becoming more intensive and compliance more resource- and time-consuming, government is perceived as having little appreciation for the power and value of academic freedom. With stipulated administrative procedures and required bureaucracy have come pressures toward centralized institutional decision making and away from the traditional decentralized collegial style. The need to recognize the differences between universities and other types of institutions is emphasized. The most serious challenges to institutional freedom are imposed by the implementation of federal affirmative action and costing policies administered by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The heart of the debate over regulation and autonomy is the concern to protect traditional freedoms in the four areas of curriculum, faculty recruitment, student admission, and methods of teaching. The need for universities to improve their legislative skills and two activities that have recently been undertaken by several higher education associations to address regulatory problems in research are discussed. (SW)