This article concentrates on the transition from comprehensive school to
the upper secondary level from the viewpoint of migrant background
girls. Emphasis is on understanding the bounded agency and the
ways in which gender and family background are expressed in the
modalities of the agency. Previous studies show that ethnic minorities
have more difficulties in school, and they continue to higher education
less frequently than the majority of students. We are interested in the
aspirations of migrant background girls (n = 34) concerning their
post-comprehensive transition. Our focus is on the experienced agency
during the last year of comprehensive school. Our research questions
are: What kinds of modalities do migrant background girls use when
considering their educational choices? How do these modalities reflect
their bounded agency? The study shows that although the experienced
agency is universal among the age group, there are specific ethnic and
gender connotations.