Returning to school after dropping out is a laborious project; many young adults re-entering formal education leave it again (Marcotte et al., 2011). In order to better understand the motivational issues they face, our research uses the expectancy-value model (Eccles and Wigfield, 2002) to investigate the school project of 28 young adults from Montréal. The life histories of these young adults first highlight the importance of having a well-defined school project. In terms of their expectancy of success, we find that young adults who identify ways to achieve their school project are more confident. These elements support the importance of helping young adults define their school project and identify ways of achieving it. In terms of the value given to the school project, the desire to improve one’s living conditions and the importance of obtaining a first diploma positively influenced the motivation of the young adults who participated in this study, while the lack of financial and family support counterbalanced this. These elements underline the importance of providing support that increases the financial autonomy of young adults who return to formal education, as well as their social emancipation.