This paper contributes to the analysis of impacts a university might experience with an increased degree of autonomy. Most autonomy studies have empirically considered the legal, political and financial relationships between state authorities and universities in different national contexts. Nevertheless, most of these studies focus on the changes experienced by European universities with increased autonomy. This paper argues that the focus on the Western European perspective limits the conclusions drawn from the relatively homogeneous policy context that frames the perspectives of university autonomy under investigation. This paper will advance research on autonomy and the understanding of changes produced by expanded autonomy in two concrete cases that occurred in contrasting policy frameworks: the University of Tampere, Finland, and the University of São Paulo, Brazil.