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The principles and methods applied in student admissions to higher education have stoked public and scientific debate for more than a decade. But do we know the consequences of this selection process? Using data from France’s Génération 2013 survey, this study explores the early careers of one category of respondents in particular: those who ended their studies after failing in class. Although they are only a subset of all young people who do not complete higher education, their situation combines aspects both of formal selection—i.e., they applied—and of informal selection—i.e., they chose to drop out rather than go elsewhere. The results show that these young people have a worse start to their careers than other baccalaureate holders with comparable characteristics.