This study examines university students’ expectations of their lecturers professional competencies, which influence the quality of learning. The key professional competencies of university lecturers evaluated in this study included lecturers’ mastery of the subject content, teaching methods, professional guidance and support given to students, and methods of assessment. The study followed a cross-sectional survey research design to collect data from 300 university students and 12 heads of departments in three public and three private universities. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Spearman rank-order correlation and multiple regression analysis, while qualitative data was grouped into themes and analyzed descriptively according to the study objectives. The study revealed a positive and significant correlation between the four professional competencies and the influence of quality learning outcomes in the university. However, the correlation coefficients for professional guidance and support, and methods of assessment and feedback were stronger than content mastery and methods of teaching. The study recommends that university lecturers should not focus only on the pedagogical professional competencies to influence students’ outcomes but also on how they handle students professional needs and assessment outcomes.