The purpose of this study is to determine which educational pathways immigrant students use to access higher education, by contrasting the recent "vocationalisation of the academic route" to HE in France with the traditionally high level of enrolment in vocational programmes in Switzerland. For example, while students can access HE through the vocational path in France, such is not the case in Switzerland. Using data of two youth cohorts, the study identified some factors (country of origin, academic performance in secondary school, student aspirations and different socioeconomic variables) likely to impact access to HE for immigrant students.