Where 55 Celebrities Attended College
November 16, 2024
When people think of celebrities, the usual thoughts follow: fame, fortune, success. But whether or not celebrities actually inhabit those qualities is another question. Most people aren鈥檛 necessarily aware of how these people got to where they are today. Especially where these actors, directors and musicians went to college. Check out the list below to see the various colleges celebrities attended. If you鈥檙e a prospective college student, you might just be attending the same school as some of them. Here are where some of the top celebrities went to college:
- Interested in studying Drama in college? Check out our 25 Best Colleges for Drama/Acting.
Where 55 Celebrities Attended College
1) Lady Gaga – New York University
At 17, Stefani Germanotta was accepted to NYU鈥檚 Tisch School of the Arts through its music school, Collaborative Arts Project 21. She lived in an NYU dorm, and to focus on her music career, she dropped out during the second semester of her sophomore year. Germanotta became Lady Gaga.
2) Natalie Portman – Harvard University
“I don’t care if [college] ruins my career. I’d rather be smart than a movie star,鈥 said Natalie Portman in a New York Post interview in 1999. Portman went on to graduate from Harvard.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
3) Will Ferrell – University of Southern California
This one might least surprise you out of all the colleges celebrities attended, especially if you鈥檝e seen videos of Will Ferrell at USC football games. At USC, Ferrell studied sports broadcasting (hello, Anchorman) and joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. It鈥檚 rumored that he streaked around campus with his fraternity brothers.
4) 搁别苍茅e Zellweger – University of Texas at Austin
In 1991, 搁别苍茅e Zellweger graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in English. At UT Austin, she enrolled in a drama elective, which spurred her interest in acting.
5) Jodie Foster – Yale University
Yale joins this list of colleges celebrities attended due to stars like Jodie Foster. Foster studied literature at Yale, where she wrote her thesis on Toni Morrison and graduated magna cum laude. In 1993, she returned to Yale to speak to the graduating class, and in 1997, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
6) Meryl Streep – Vassar College and Yale University
Meryl Streep wasn鈥檛 particularly interested in acting until she starred in the play Miss Julie while at Vassar College. Streep went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama and an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College.
7) Adam Sandler – New York University
Another alumni of New York University, Adam Sandler graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. It was during his freshman year when he was offered a recurring role as .
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
8) Rashida Jones – Harvard University
When speaking about her college years, Rashida Jones told Vanity Fair, 鈥淚 kind of lost my mind for a couple years and went to a lot of raves.鈥 Jones was of course referring to her Harvard years, where she majored in religion and philosophy.
9) Maggie Gyllenhaal – Columbia University
Despite her acting career already setting off during her adolescence, Maggie Gyllenhaal joins this list of colleges celebrities attended because of Columbia. While at Columbia, Gyllenhaal studied literature and Eastern religions.
10) Matthew McConaughey – University of Texas at Austin
If you鈥檙e a UT Austin student, maybe you鈥檝e already seen Matthew McConaughey at the Longhorn football games. McConaughey studied radio-television-film at UT Austin and is now a Professor of Practice at the Moody College of Communication.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
11) Denzel Washington – Fordham University
Denzel Washington studied drama and journalism at Fordham University, where he also played on the basketball team. In 2011, Washington gave $2 million to endow the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre, and $250,000 for the Denzel Washington Endowed Scholarship.
12) Emma Watson – Brown University
Emma Watson is one of the few celebrities who enrolled in college after their rise to fame. Watson received her Bachelor鈥檚 degree in English literature from Brown University. Apparently it was hard for classmates to separate her from her character of Hermione in the Harry Potter series, as they鈥檇 respond to her with 鈥淭hree points for Gryffindor.鈥
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
13) Brooke Shields – Princeton University
Brooke Shields brings Princeton University for the first time to this list of colleges celebrities attended. Shields received a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in French literature and was a member of the Princeton Triangle Club and the Cap and Gown Club.
14) John Krasinski – Brown University
Unlike most incoming students, John Krasinski deferred his first semester of college to teach English in Costa Rica. Afterwards he returned to Brown, where he studied playwriting and graduated with honors.
15) Mindy Kaling – Dartmouth College
Mindy Kaling majored in theater at Dartmouth College, where she joined the improv group Dog Day Players and created her own comic strip. During her Dartmouth years, she took a semester off to intern for Late Night with Conan O鈥橞rien.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
16) John Legend – University of Pennsylvania
Having received offers from other colleges like Harvard University, Georgetown University and Morehouse College, John Legend was a gifted student with options. He ultimately decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English with a specialization in African American literature. At Penn, Legend was also president and musical director of the jazz and a cappella group Counterparts.
17) Kate Beckinsale – Oxford University
While still a student studying French and Russian literature at Oxford University, Kate Beckinsale was offered a major movie role. As her acting career began to launch, Beckinsale dropped out of Oxford before her final year. And she鈥檚 since shared that she wouldn鈥檛 mind finishing her degree.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
18) Ken Jeong – Duke University
Before you recognized Ken Jeong from movies like The Hangover, he was a doctor 鈥 and still is today. Jeong was a pre-med student at Duke University and went on to attend UNC-Chapel Hill鈥檚 medical school. 鈥淓verybody has a right to pursue what they want,鈥 Jeong said in a speech at the University of Miami. 鈥淲hatever reality gives you, you make the most of it and make it your own.
19) Lupita Nyong鈥檕 – Yale University
Another notable alumni from Yale University is Lupita Nyong鈥檕, who graduated from the Yale School of Drama. Shortly after graduating, Nyong鈥檕 landed her first major role in 12 Years a Slave and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
20) Matt Damon – Harvard University
If you鈥檝e seen Good Will Hunting, you might wonder how Matt Damon captured the university setting so well. Damon was a student at Harvard University before he dropped out in 1992 and went on to make the classic film. His Harvard years were an influence to the story, and the university went on to grant him an honorary degree.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
21) Jessica Chastain – The Juilliard School
Jessica Chastain trained in theater at the Juilliard School, graduating in 2003. Chastain was able to attend the school due to a full scholarship granted by Robin Williams, another Juillard graduate.
22) Reese Witherspoon – Stanford University
Like a few other celebrities, Reese Witherspoon still enrolled in college even after her acting career began. At 15 years old, Witherspoon starred in The Man in the Moon, and later attended Stanford University as an English literature major. Although she didn鈥檛 end up finishing her degree due to her growing acting career, Witherspoon continued to live out her love of literature. Perhaps you鈥檝e heard of her book club.
23) Steven Spielberg – California State University
Despite dropping out of college in 1968, Steven Spielberg went on to complete his degree at California State University. 34 years later.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
24) Conan O鈥Brien – Harvard University
Conan O鈥橞rien studied history and literature at Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude. While at Harvard, O鈥橞rien wrote for the humor magazine the Harvard Lampoon and was a drummer in the band called The Bad Clams.
25) Michael Jordan – University of North Carolina
Michael Jordan was an NCAA player while he was a student at the University of North Carolina. Even after he was drafted in 1984, Jordan still attended the university and graduated two years later.
26) Tom Hanks – Chabot College
Due to economic reasons, Tom Hanks attended Chabot College for two years before transferring to California State University, Sacramento in 1972. In a 2015 essay for The New York Times, titled 鈥淚 Owe It All to Community College,鈥 Hanks wrote about his experience at Chabot College.
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
27) Octavia Spencer – Auburn University
In 1994, Octavia Spencer graduated from Auburn University in Alabama. Only two years later, Spencer got her first major role in the film A Time to Kill.
28) Oprah Winfrey – Tennessee State University
After winning an oratory contest and the Miss Black Tennessee pageant, Oprah Winfrey attended Tennessee State University on a full scholarship.
29) Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥 Johnson – University of Miami
Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥 Johnson studied criminology and physiology at the University of Miami, and in 1991, Johnson was a football player with the University of Miami Hurricanes. However, a year later he was forced to quit due to a significant injury. Upon graduating in 1995, he followed his family tradition to become a professional wrestler, and then turned to acting.
30) Sandra Bullock – East Carolina University
Sandra Bullock studied acting in East Carolina University鈥檚 theater production school. Bullock eventually graduated in 1986.
Follow along for more colleges celebrities attended
31) Viola Davis – Rhode Island College and the Juilliard School
32) John Cho – UC Berkeley
33) Mahershala Ali – Saint Mary鈥檚 College of California
34) Kathryn Hahn – Northwestern University and Yale University
35) Chris Pine – UC Berkeley
36) Issa Rae – Stanford University
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
37) Riz Ahmed – Oxford University
38) Julianne Moore – College of Fine Arts
39) Steven Yeun – Kalamazoo College
40) Tina Fey – University of Virginia
41) Pedro Pascal – New York University
42) Amy Poehler – Boston College
43) Anne Hathaway – Vassar College and New York University
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
44) Daniel Dae Kim – Haverford College and New York University
45) Oscar Isaac – Miami Dade College and Juilliard
46) Frances McDormand – Bethany College and Yale University
47) Stephen Colbert – Northwestern University
48) Edward Norton – Yale University
49) Bradley Cooper – Georgetown University
50) Arnold Schwarzenegger – University of Wisconsin – Superior
Where Celebrities Attended College (Continued)
51) Carrie Underwood – Northeastern State University
52) Jennifer Garner – Denison University
53) Topher Grace – University of Southern California
54) Ben Stiller – University of California, Los Angeles
55) Julia Stiles – Columbia University
Colleges Celebrities Attended
These famous singers, actors and directors were once students like you, studying subjects that you鈥檙e considering to pursue. Some of the colleges these celebrities attended might have surprised you 鈥 or they might have just made perfect sense. The next time you see these people on screen (or perhaps in person), you鈥檒l know just one more surprising thing about them.
Famous People Went to College – Additional Resources
