In less-developed nations, youth face many obstacles to higher education, influenced by a complex set of factors, such as family, peers, and schools. In addition, where resources are scarce, access to institutions of higher education is of particular importance. Drawing on status attainment models, this study examined the effects of family, peers, and schools factors on expectations to graduate from a university for a sample of high school students in 10 Bogota, Columbia high schools in 1997 and 4 high schools in La Paz, Bolivia in 1998. The expansion of higher education in Bolivia and Colombia has followed very different strategies. The Bolivian strategy has been to increase access to higher education among the masses. However, this has been at a cost of quality in higher education. In contrast, the Columbian system has expanded at a slower rate, but has attempted to improve the quality of education. The findings indicate that in countries with policies of open admission and no tuition, traditional status attainment models are not predictive of expectations to graduate from a university. In countries with rigid admission policies and high tuition costs, the status attainment models show a strong link between parental educational background and expectations for higher education. It is suggested that the applicability of status attainment models developed in industrialized settings to less-developed countries depends on the context of higher quality education. The context of higher education, therefore, is important in determining the expectations of high school students to graduate from a university, particularly in less-developed countries. References