This paper considers students' economic motives to attend university. Drawing on selected results from a tri-national survey involving online questionnaires and interviews with students at English, German and Portuguese universities, it examines and compares this particular extrinsic motivational dimension, alongside the influence of the national economic contexts within which the students are located. The findings suggest a strong consensus across all three settings in relation to high levels of motivation driven by the students' economic goals--careers, qualifications and future income--irrespective of background variables and fee structures. An exploration of the impact of the broader economic climate, however, reveals a more fragmented picture. The differences revealed between national settings offer tentative evidence that the students' perceptions of their country's economic situation does have a differential impact on their decision to take up university studies.