In the current hierarchical system of higher education, regional universities in China face the dilemma of homogenization and marginalization. There is an urgent need to find a high-quality development path that suits their own characteristics. From the theoretical perspective of "academic drift", this study focuses on the influence that internal and external conditions can have on the development performance of regional universities, whilst also creatively using the research method of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to investigate the different development paths of 53 regional universities in China. The study found that the push-pull effect of external conditions, such as location, should be highly valued. For three different development outcome variables, there are various conditional combination development paths. The development paths of universities with different disciplines are not always the same, so it is necessary for them to find a "cut-in point" for running their own university. This study helps clarify the unique path of high-quality development in regional universities and promotes the classified development of higher education systems.