The objective of this article is to identify the determinants that influence high school students when choosing a university career, evaluating the effect of personal, family, and institutional factors. For this, a scale has been designed, initially validated by means of a focus group, which made it possible to measure the reasons for choosing university studies in young people in Medellín. Surveys were applied to 139 high school students, aged between 16 and 20 years. The results indicated that the factors with the greatest incidence in their choices were those related to the quality of academic programs and the future job possibilities derived from this choice, while the geographical location or the university campus were not considered as a priority for most of the respondents. Finally, the role of parents is highlighted; they are actors who exert a greater influence on decision-making when choosing a university career.