This study examined African American and White ninth grade students' aspirations for college attendance, utilizing the predisposition stage of Hossler and Gallegher's (1987) model of college choice as a conceptual framework. This study also introduced a measure of student perceptions of how well high school was preparing them for college. Findings revealed that African American students' aspirations for college attendance were similar to those of their White peers, even though African American students had lower levels of academic achievement. The study also showed that students who held negative perceptions of how well their high school was preparing them for college were less likely to aspire to college attendance. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)