Introduction.

Adolescents under the guardianship of the protection system carry out training itineraries, but only a minority manages to study post-compulsory studies.

Objective.

To understand which strategies of socio-educational accompaniment carried out by the professionals of the protection system facilitate or hinder the achievement of post-compulsory academic objectives of youth protected by the administration in Galicia (Spain).

Method.

A qualitative study was organized in two phases. In the first, seven life histories and 4 longitudinal follow-ups were conducted with young people in protection (nine were females). The mean age was 20.3 years. The procedure was designed following the grounded theory. In the second phase, two discussion groups were performed with the participation of 9 professionals of the child protection system with a mean age of 34.1 years.

Results.

The youths indicate deficits in the institutional support of the protection system that would facilitate overcoming the social obstacles to higher education. The professionals highlight the precariousness of the resources for their work, which affects both the configuration of study supports and the construction of an environment that promotes the establishment of long-term training objectives.

Conclusions.

The university and its administrative management processes remain foreign to the specific socio-educational needs of students with social difficulty, especially those who have protective measures. The implications for the educational practice are discussed.