Elements of educational quality and ways in which quality is estimated are identified, with specific attention to conditions that are prerequisite to achieving high levels of quality in universities. The quality of a university may be estimated by examining prestigous institutions based on reputational studies, by quantitative descriptions of selected institutional characteristics, or by an extension of both methods in what has been called an eclectic or holistic approach. These three approaches imply different understandings of quality. The reputational method treats only the academic department. Institutional characteristics through which excellence might be observed in universities include clarity of purpose, the degree of autonomy, the staff, and resources. The holistic/eclectic approach may permit confusions between primary and supporting functions in describing the quality of a university. It is possible to estimate the degree of clarity of an institution's purposes by examining the awareness evidenced by societal leaders, faculty, and students. The quality of a university seems to improve as its autonomy increases, since autonomy of action is necessary to achieve its central purpose. (SW)