Determining the factors that determine students' successful completion of college has been a prevalent topic in the higher education sector to address dropout issues . The purpose of this article is to focus on the impact of socio-cultural factors in students' lives on college expectations, success, and completion. Through qualitative methodology; focus group, interview and ethnography, this article explores the role of the social environment on university aspirations and which socio-cultural factors influence success. The findings indicate that college success is influenced by parental expectations and competing priorities; and college success is a consequence of the supportive role of family and friends. The findings imply that although prior research focuses on individual characteristics of student aspirations and success in higher education, the social structure resources upon which students rely play a critical role in understanding student engagement and attrition. students at university. While it is well documented that individual attributes such as motivation and academic ability influence college success, recent research highlights that a complex set of sociocultural factors influence student engagement and attrition (Lobo, 2012). In a recent study by Hobson APAC (2014), on Australian university student engagement and attrition, the majority of participants cited “personal reasons” as their reason for leaving university. These personal reasons included difficulty balancing study with family and work commitments and finances. In another study on student attrition, student expectations and perceptions of the university were identified as a factor influencing success (Lobo, 2012). This article will explore how socio-cultural elements of students' lives influence their studies to better understand the realities of student life and their path to success at the university level.