A higher education continues to be a significant value to young people; this is manifested clearly in the growth of the numbers enrolled in higher educational institutions of Russia. This article examines "the process by which young people achieve their goal"--obtaining a higher education--as a set of stages linked to specific kinds of costs. The empirical data used in the analysis were obtained as a result of a survey of 2,500 first-year college students in five regions of Russia. Success rates for students in higher education in Russia are closely linked to their family status, and especially to the level of education of their parents. Cultural capital and financial resources can alleviate students' academic problems and can mask their awareness of how they can improve their abilities and performance. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)