In this paper I focalize on a specific point of time in the educational career of a student: the passage to tertiary school. Statistics show that immigrant youths have a higher risk of leaving school than natives. Is it the only possible choice? What is happening in these hard times? The importance of focusing on the passage from secondary school to tertiary educational level is motivated by two reasons: first, the choice of enrolling university influences both the future educational attainments and the chances to find a job in the knowledge society of the students; second, the lower incidence of foreign students in various university courses should be investigated to avoid the risk of labour market segregation, especially in these hard times. Through qualitative data, based on interviews with foreign young people, both in- and outside- university, their parents and Italian peers, I’ll investigate how university is chosen, and how both parents and representations intervene in this decision-making process.

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