Since last three decades, the capacity of higher education has been expanded rapidly in Taiwan. The number of student has increased from 358,000 to 1343,000, suggesting almost 4 times expansion in the system. In 2012, the gross entrance ratio (GER) has reached to 84%, which is higher than most of Asian countries’ higher education system. When the higher education is going to the universal system, its quality has also caused public concerns. This study aims to explore the issues of changing to right-based higher education, especially the discussion focuses on the related reform to balance between quantity and quality in Taiwan. This paper begins with a contextual overview of the past three decades to provide an understanding the character of the higher education environment. Considered the international framework, we addressed the teaching and research in the process of building research universities. Two top public universities were selected to present their stories of how institutional arrangements and retention of talent play an important role in balancing quantity and quality.