Purpose: This paper seeks to examine the roles of personality, vocational interests, academic achievement and some socio-cultural factors in educational aspirations of secondary school adolescents in southwestern Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: A survey research design was adopted. The sample comprised 430 (males = 220, females = 210) secondary school students. Data personality, vocational interests, academic achievement, socio-cultural factors and educational aspiration were obtained from the students. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: The paper finds that specific personality, interest dimensions, academic achievement, socio-economic status and demands from extended family were significantly related to the students' educational aspirations. Research limitations/implications: The cross-sectional correlational research design does not permit cause-and-effect inferences to be made. Use of a single-item survey to assess educational aspirations may limit the results. Future research may add more items to assess educational aspiration. Practical implications: The adolescents' personality, vocational interests, academic achievement and socio-cultural factors should be identified and included in the career counselling process by counselling psychologists. Originality/value: This research provides basis for the need to consider personality, interests and socio-cultural factors in addition to cognitive attainment when explaining the adolescents' educational aspirations. (Contains 2 tables.)