The aim of the present study was to identify dominant goal orientation patterns in university students, define their motivational profiles and their reading strategy use. The results of cluster analysis showed that four groups of students could be differentiated according to their goal orientation: mastery, mastery-performance, performance-work-avoidance, and work-avoidance goal orientation groups. Groups with high mastery orientation had more adaptive motivational profile and more adequate reading strategy use than groups with high work-avoidance orientation.