The article reveals specific features of functioning systems of higher education quality monitoring at the present stage, taking into account national traditions, historical experience and mentality of the population. The article introduces a comparative analysis of monitoring actors at national, regional and local levels in two countries. The ratio of influence of the state administration in education sphere and of the independent public organizations (agencies) on the nature and quality of monitoring procedures has been estimated. The positions polarity of Ukrainian and German universities in world rankings ("Top 50" The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2010-2011/2014-2015); "Top 500" Academic Ranking of World Universities for 2010-2015) in form of statistical generalizations have been presented. A comparative analysis of approaches to assuring and monitoring the quality of higher education in Germany and Ukraine has been shown in the table. It demonstrates the conceptual and functional components of monitoring: the monitoring purpose, monitoring objects, levels and actors, public initiative, the priority of monitoring levels, the dominant principles, the general orientation and procedure for monitoring the higher education quality. The use of prospects of elements in progressive international experience as for organising the monitoring system of higher education quality to reform the national high school have been determined here. That could be especially important taking into consideration the creating of the European Higher Education Area.