This study aims to categorize high school students motivation for college access, and examines the influence of the students parental environment, among other related factors, regarding their motivation to attend college. Additionally, we examined how different motivations influence college choices, such as college control, college location, and college level. The sample for this study was 1,647 high school students who aspired to attend college in the KCYPS 2010 dataset in the National Youth Policy Institute. A latent profile analysis (LPA) and multinomial logistic regression were used for the analysis. We placed high school students into four categories, according to their motivation: high mixed-motivation, intrinsic-oriented motivation, extrinsic-oriented motivation, low mixed-motivation. We found that parental environment had a significant influence on these different types of motivation. Different types of motivation categorized were associated with college choices. The results showed that parenting style, as well as the parental SES background, had a pivotal role in forming motivation for college. For the practical implications, advice about college access and motivation to go to college should be carried out, considering the different types of motivation of promising college students to enhance access and the quality of higher education.