In Austria, educationally disadvantaged groups have fewer educational opportunities than people whose parents have a higher level of education. This inequality is particularly visible in higher education. My dissertation is dedicated to social inequality among students and highlights factors that influence student success. In particular, using data from the Student Social Survey, a broad survey of all students in Austria, study success is analyzed based on student characteristics such as previous education, educational or migration background. A special focus is placed on second generation of immigrants – a very heterogeneous group whose situation in the tertiary level has so far been little researched in Austria but identified as a group with multiple risks and educational disadvantages in school-related research. The quantitative student data is used to investigate the extent to which a migratory background influences academic success, whether these differences can be explained by social background – and finally to identify the influence of their parents’ education and origin.