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The analysis of the distribution of students among the different curricula and disciplines of higher education during the first five years of university makes it possible to specify the functions of these curricula within the educational strategies followed by students, at a time when approximately half of an age group is granted access to higher education. The idea that the university would be undermined by the competition between curricula based upon initial selection must be nuanced. The competition it faces from vocational training is strong, but it is most effective when weaker freshmen are concerned. The disciplines are thus distributed within a field where “vocational” curricula, whether traditional (medical school, law) or more recent, are opposed to disciplines geared toward teaching. Another opposition exists between disciplines requiring a specific prior training (arts and sciences) and those requiring none (such as artistic disciplines), while others (in particular the social sciences) are frequently the default curriculum for students coming from modest social backgrounds. Each disciplinary subfield is characterized by persistent social, educational and gender hierarchies.