The article presents the analysis of the existing institutional conditions in higher education and their impact on the formation and implementation of non-linear strategies of professional activity of scientific-pedagogical community. To achieve this goal the authors provide insights into the understanding of university teachers’ nonlinear professional strategies aimed at democratization of "teacher - student" relations as well as the variety of forms of pedagogical and scientific qualification upgrading. The article claims the necessity of having freedom in choosing the professional networking forms and directions as well as university teachers’ academic mobility. Based on the authoritarian principles rejection, the university management principles, as well as the state regulations are now being reconsidered. The nonlinear professional strategies understanding is based on the studies of regulatory, managerial, sociocultural conditions of university teachers’ professional activities. The analytical and evidential base is built on the results of empirical research conducted within the research group of the Department of sociology and technology of public and municipal management of Ural Federal University, as well as on the results of sociological research related to the topic. The article shows the ratio of the declared institutional conditions and their implementation in everyday practice in scientific and pedagogical community. It highlights the fact that the possibilities of implementing teachers’ non-linear professional activity strategies, provided by “The Federal Law of the Russian Federation on Education”, are sharply restricted on the level of The Ministry of Education and particular educational organization orders and instructions. The paper stresses the idea that the choice of teacher’s professional trajectory depends largely on the sociocultural traditions, which in combination with certain administrative and managerial regulations limit the nonlinear strategies possibilities. It is concluded that within the system of higher education in the Russian Federation, teachers lack institutional conditions for non-linear professional strategies implementation.