54 Famous College Dropouts
September 27, 2024
Famous College Dropouts – Here you are, preparing for college, writing a million personal essays, taking the SAT, trying to be your best self. Why? Just so some college can accept you and you can pay tens of thousands of dollars for them to tell you that you need to go to graduate school? C鈥檓on. You don鈥檛 need to go to college! Start that startup! Go on America鈥檚 Next Top Model! Open a Smoothie King franchise!
I鈥檓 kidding.
If you want to go to college, you absolutely should. Attending college in the United States (or abroad) is one of the most formative and enriching experiences anyone can have. It will teach you so much more about the world, people, and places than you could ever imagine. You鈥檒l study your major discipline in depth, but you鈥檒l also make memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Those are cliches about going to college, sure, but they鈥檙e cliches for a reason: they鈥檙e true!
Still, not everybody needs or even wants to pursue higher education in order to become a fully realized or successful person. Our culture is riddled with stories of people who dropped out of college and went on to become super successful bosses, CEOs, artists, millionaires, and celebrities.
But you know what they say: you can鈥檛 drop out of college if you never go. So, choose your favorite famous person from the list below, then sign up, show up, and drop out just like your inspiration would have done鈥攁nd did!
54 Famous College Dropouts
1) Alicia Keys
This diva ain鈥檛 no dummy. She got into Columbia and started her studies there but dropped out after just four weeks. Why? To sign her music deal with Columbia Records. She didn鈥檛 have to keep 鈥渇allin鈥 in and out鈥 of school鈥攐nce her career took off, Keys never looked back!
2) Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel, born Mark Sinclair, went to NYC鈥檚 Hunter College to study creative writing. That led him into screenwriting. He started going by Vin Diesel while working as a bouncer at a nightclub, where he worked while studying. He left Hunter after 3 years to pursue acting, but was granted an honorary PhD by his alma mater in 2018.
3) Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga famously attended New York University鈥檚 Tisch School of the Arts. She was granted early admission to the Collaborative Arts Project 21 and lived on campus. And maybe her studies there helped her make her art as distinctive as it is. Gaga left NYU in the second semester of her second year to pursue music.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
4) Jamaica Kincaid
Jamaica Kincaid was born in Antigua and went on to become one of the most important living writers in America today. She is a novelist, essayist, and professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. So, it might be shocking to learn that she also dropped out of university. Kincaid attended Franconia College in New Hampshire on a full scholarship but dropped out to pursue writing in New York City.
5) Ryan Seacrest
The famous face of American Idol and Atlanta native chose to leave the University of Georgia at the age of 19 to move to Los Angeles to pursue his budding broadcasting career.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
6) Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt famously asked us the question: 鈥淗ow the hell can a person go to work in the morning and come home in the evening and have nothing to say?鈥 Perhaps because the musician always had something on her mind. Raitt was raised as a Quaker in Los Angeles and attended Radcliffe College at Harvard University, majoring in Social Relations and African studies. How interesting is that? She dropped out in 1969, her second year of school, to join the East Coast folk music scene.
7) Oprah Winfrey
One of Oprah鈥檚 favorite things must be dropping out of college. The media mogul entered Tennessee State University in 1971, began working in television and broadcasting in Nashville, and left Tennessee State just one credit shy of her degree in 1975.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
8) Paul Newman
The actor had already earned his degree in drama and economics at Kenyon College when he enrolled in the Yale School of Drama before leaving after one year to move to New York City to study method acting at the famous Actors Studio with Lee Strausberg. And good thing he did! We might not have some of Hollywood鈥檚 most classic films if he hadn鈥檛.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
9) James Dean
James Dean lived a short, turbulent life that was hallmarked by his film success in Hollywood classics like East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. He enrolled in Santa Monica College in 1949, then he transferred to UCLA and changed his major to drama, after which Dean’s father estranged himself from his son. Dean dropped out in January 1951 to follow his dreams of acting. Just four years later in 1955, Dean鈥檚 life was cut short when he died in a car crash.
10) Steven Spielberg
Spielberg dropped out of California State University, Long Beach to begin television directing projects for Universal Studios, eventually becoming one of the most famous film directors in the world.
And then, we mustn’t forget the other famous Stevens who dropped out of school!
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
11) Steve Jobs
Perhaps one of the most famous drop-outs (and part of a three-Steve run of successful college dropouts), Steve Jobs attended Reed College in 1972 before leaving in that same year. In 1974, Jobs traveled through India studying Zen Buddhism and seeking enlightenment (who knew?). Jobs and Steve Wozniak (our third famous dropout Steve, below!) founded Apple in 1976.
12) Steve Wozniak
While he was inventing his personal computer, Wozniak enrolled at De Anza College before transferring to UC Berkeley in 1971. He dropped out of Berkeley after meeting Jobs, and the rest is history!
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
13) Eddie Murphy
Murphy attended Nassau Community College for a brief period of time before dropping out and heading for almost instant fame on Saturday Night Live.
14) Tom Hanks
An American institution in his own right, Hanks was named one of the Top 10 College Dropouts by Time magazine.
15) Reese Witherspoon
Witherspoon enrolled in Stanford University as an English literature major before dropping out to become one of America鈥檚 film sweethearts and a powerhouse producer. What, like it鈥檚 hard?
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
16) Jake Gyllenhaal
Gyllenhaal spent two years at Columbia University before dropping out to tackle acting.
17) Brad Pitt
In the early 1980s, Pitt was studying journalism and advertising at the University of Missouri, but just couldn鈥檛 let go of his love for movies. Just two weeks before completing his degree, he left school and moved to L.A., where his acting career exploded.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
18) Madonna
Do you think you鈥檙e better than the Queen of Pop? Honestly, drop out yesterday. Madonna left a dance scholarship at the University of Michigan to get herself to New York City and follow her fame.
19) Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Speaking of dropout queens, Julia Louis-Dreyfus鈥擡laine from Seinfeld and, more recently, Selina Meyer, the Vice President of the United States on VEEP鈥攄ropped out of Northwestern to take a job on SNL.
20) Jennifer Lopez
JLo had one month of patience for Baruch College before she said, I鈥檓 gonna be famous.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
21) Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez must have learned a lot about dropping out the way they can鈥檛 stop leaving each other and getting back together. But! Affleck studied at the University of Vermont but left after fracturing his hip playing basketball.
22) Zooey Deschanel
Much like Julia Louis-Dreyfus above, Deschanel gave Northwestern University a shot. But after 9 months, she knew she needed to be the 鈥渘ew girl鈥 on the acting scene.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
23) Joseph Gordon-Levitt
500 Days of Summer? More like 500 days at Columbia University before pursuing acting full time.
24) Mark Zuckerberg
Another uber-famous college dropout, Zuckerberg and his friends created Facebook at Harvard. Then, Zuckerberg ducked out to take the company public. You can learn all about the ensuing controversy in the movie The Social Network.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
25) Bill Gates
Microsoft founder Bill Gates didn鈥檛 need Harvard to create one of the biggest software companies of all time.
26) Rachael Ray
After just two years at Pace University, Ray dropped out, but she didn鈥檛 immediately find fame. And now, years after her success with cooking shows on The Food Network, you can find her word 鈥淓VOO鈥 (an acronym for 鈥渆xtra virgin olive oil鈥) in the dictionary!
27) Jack Dorsey
Dorsey came up with the idea for Twitter while he was studying at NYU鈥攁nd he dropped out just one semester short of graduating.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
28) Daniel Ek
Ek, the co-founder and CEO of Spotify, is estimated to have a net worth of $4.8 billion. Not bad for someone without student loan debt. Ek was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and he studied IT in high school. He went on to study engineering at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Ek made it just 8 weeks before bidding 补诲箩枚 to the Royal Institute and doubling down on his tech ambitions.
29) Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones is a delight鈥攁nd Delight is literally his middle name. With a career spanning more than 70 years, 28 Grammys, and 80 Grammy nominations, Jones is known for producing Michael Jackon鈥檚 album Thriller and producing the 1985 original film version of The Color Purple. And yes, even Quincy Jones dropped out of college. He received a scholarship to study at Seattle University, left that on a scholarship offer to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and ultimately left his studies behind when he got the offer to go on tour with a band as a trumpeter, pianist, and arranger.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
30) Ralph Lauren
The billionaire fashion designer left Baruch College of City College of New York after just two years of studying business.
31) Kat Cole
Kat Cole is the CEO of AG1, formerly known as Athletic Greens. She does have her MBA from Georgia State, even though she dropped out of the University of North Florida as an undergraduate to focus on her career at Hooters.
32) Sofia Vergara
The Modern Family star attended the National University of Colombia, her home country. She studied dentistry for three years before taking off to pursue modeling and acting.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
33) President William McKinley
The 25th president of the United States studied at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA for just one year before returning home because he was depressed and ill. And he still went on to be president! Times were different back in the 1860s.
34) President Harry Truman
By the early 1900s, things hadn鈥檛 changed all that much, either. America鈥檚 33rd president enrolled in Spalding Commercial College after graduating from high school in 1901. He studied bookkeeping, shorthand, and typing, after just a year.
35) Rachel Lim
The Love, Bonito founder started her business by taking the leap to drop out of her school and turn her then-fledgling blogshop into an e-commerce enterprise.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
36) Frank Lloyd Wright
One of America鈥檚 most unique and distinguished architects, Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,000 structures in his lifetime. He also dropped out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison after only two semesters. If you do drop out of college, use your free time to visit Wright鈥檚 masterpiece Fallingwater! It鈥檚 worth it.
37) Ty Warner
American billionaire, businessman, and convicted felon Ty Warner invented Beanie Babies and dropped out of Kalamazoo College after one year. Warner was born in 1944 and raised in the Peter Goan House in LaGrange, IL, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1890s. Strange, isn鈥檛 it?
38) Paula Abdul
Straight up now, tell me, did you know that the famous singer left California State University, Northridge to become the head choreographer of the Laker Girls?
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
39) Ted Turner
The founder of CNN was expelled from Brown University for having a female in his dorm room. But they gave him an honorary degree in 1989 after the 24-hour cable news channel took off.
40) David Geffen
Film producer and recording executive David Geffen attended Santa Monica College, but eventually dropped out, later citing challenges due to dyslexia.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
41) H. Wayne Huizenga
His might not be a household name, but H. Wayne Huizenga founded AutoNation, Waste Management, Inc., and owned Blockbuster Video (R.I.P.), as well as several professional sports teams. He put in three semesters at Calvin College in Michigan before dropping out and eventually enlisting in the Army Reserve.
42) R. Donahue Peebles
Peebles is a real estate mogul and one of America鈥檚 most successful African American CEOs, according to Forbes. He studied pre-med at Rutgers, but by 23, he had already opened his own real estate firm.
43) James Cameron
The Terminator director dropped out of Fullerton College in 1974 to work odd jobs and do drugs. It sounds funny, but it鈥檚 true! After he saw Star Wars in 1977, he quit his truck driving job to throw himself headlong into the film industry.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
44) Walt Disney
Walt Disney didn鈥檛 even make it to college! He left school at 16鈥攁nd we all know he lived happily ever after.
45) Richard Branson
Branson, who is open about having both dyslexia and ADHD, stopped attending the Stowe School at age 16, as well.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
46) John Lennon
Though he had failed his O-level exams, Lennon was still admitted to Liverpool College of Art. He was thrown out of college before his final year after being threatened with expulsion for his 鈥渃reative鈥 behavior.
47) R. Buckminster Fuller
The American architect, designer, futurist, and inventor of the geodesic dome R. Buckminster Fuller entered Harvard with the class of 1917, but was expelled (!) after his first year.
48) Julian Assange
The Wikileaks founder who published U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning鈥檚 leaks about U.S. military activity during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan studied at both Central Queensland University and the University of Melbourne, though he never finished his degree.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
49) Gabe Newell
Newell dropped out of Harvard to join Microsoft and eventually went on to create the video game company Value Corporation.
50) F Scott Fitzgerald
You might have had to study F. Scott Fitzgerald in college, but Fitzgerald himself dropped out of Princeton to go on to write his literary masterpieces.
51) Sophia Amoruso
Founder of Nasty Gal, one of the fastest growing fashion retailers, Sophia Amoruso dropped out of school before finding her way to her e-commerce empire.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
52) Steve Madden
Born in 1958, Madden graduated from high school in Nassau County, New York, Madden studied at the University of Miami for two years before he decided to high tail it back to Long Island. Madden started his shoe company in 1990 with just $1,100, selling shoes out of the back of his car. Now, you can find a pair of Steve Madden shoes just about anywhere!
53) Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg, the founder of the blogging site WordPress (and its parent company Automattic) left the University of Houston in 2004. He had been studying philosophy and political science.
Famous College Dropouts (Continued)
54) Johnny Chan
Finally, world-famous poker player Johnny Chan is another University of Houston drop out. He left his degree in hotel and restaurant management to become a professional gambler in Las Vegas. Good thing he waited until he was 21!
Famous College Dropouts – Additional Articles of Interest
- Where Did Each US President Go to College?
- 18 Colleges with the Most NBA Players
- Colleges with the Most NFL Players
- Where did the 2024 Presidential and VP Candidates go to College?
