Only about 30% of all billionaires do not have College degrees. There are some very famous college dropouts among the world’s wealthiest, like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, but based on the odds, a college education is probably a good idea for people seeking to join the ranks of the hyper-wealthy. Not all of them, however, went to Ivy League schools, there are quite a few went to state colleges and universities. This goes to show that, if you have the inclination and drive to become a billionaire, where you got your education doesn’t matter as much.
To determine where America’s 25 richest people went to college, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed net worth statistics from Forbes’ The Real-Time Billionaire List, with net worth extracted as of Oct. 2, 2023. All information, including education and schooling information, came from Forbes. When the net worth mentioned is for the billionaire and his or her family, the education is for the billionaire named. The 25 richest billionaires have a combined net worth of nearly $2 trillion. (These are America’s richest billionaires and when they got that way.)
Who is the richest of the rich?
Elon Musk, the sometimes controversial business magnate, is associated with numerous high-profile companies he founded, cofounded, or acquired, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly known as Twitter). Musk’s net worth as of Oct. 2, 2023, stood at $255.4 billion, nearly 70% more than the second wealthiest American, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. (These are the 25 richest Americans of all time.)
Sixteen members of this “Club of 25” are self-made. Three of these ground-up magnates are investors: RenTech’s Simons; Stephen Schwarzman, president and CEO of Blackstone Group, the world’s largest alternative asset manager headquartered in New York City; and Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, the record-smashing Miami-based hedge fund that netted $16 billion in 2022.
Four individuals on this list are college dropouts, but most hold a Bachelor of Arts degree. Seven hold post-graduate degrees. Six people on this list are Harvard University alums, five studied at Stanford, and five enrolled at Princeton, according to Forbes.
Why We Are Writing About the Colleges Billionaire Went To
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The reputation of a college is very important, as this can be a factor in deciding where endowments go and ultimately how much money the college will have to continue with its programs. Harvard University, which has a $50.9 billion endowment as of 2022, is the wealthiest in the world. To say that some of the world’s wealthiest and most successful people went to your university, can be a great feather in the cap of any president of a university. This is why universities will advertise these facts in any way they can. Prospective students also find this important to know, as it can be a great attraction to go to the same college as your role model!
Here are America’s wealthiest billionaires and where they went to college.
25. Jim Simons
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Jim Simons has a net worth of $30.7 billion (#46 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Hedge funds, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Doctorate, University of California, Berkeley
24. Miriam Adelson & family
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Miriam Adelson & family has a net worth of $31.4 billion (#45 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. Her source of wealth is Casinos. He/she has the following degrees: Bachelor of Science, Hebrew University Jerusalem
23. Stephen Schwarzman
Source: Web Summit / Wikimedia Commons
Stephen Schwarzman has a net worth of $33.1 billion (#40 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Investments, Self Made. He/she has the following degrees: Master of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Bachelor of Arts/Science, Yale University
22. MacKenzie Scott
Source: Jerod Harris / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
MacKenzie Scott has a net worth of $34.6 billion (#36 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. Her source of wealth is Amazon. She has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Princeton University
21. Ken Griffin
Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images for The New York Times
Ken Griffin has a net worth of $35.4 billion (#34 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Hedge funds, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Harvard University
20. Phil Knight & family
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
Phil Knight & family has a net worth of $38.7 billion (#30 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Nike, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Master of Business Administration, Stanford Graduate School of Business; Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Oregon
18. Jacqueline Mars
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Jacqueline Mars has a net worth of $38.9 billion (#28 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His/her source of wealth is Candy and pet food. She has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Bryn Mawr College
18. John Mars
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John Mars has a net worth of $38.9 billion (#28 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Candy and pet food. He has the following degrees: a Diploma, from The Hotchkiss School; Bachelor of Arts/Science, Yale University
17. Jensen Huang
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Net worth as of Oct. 2, 2023: $40.0 billion (#26 in world)
- Residence: Los Altos, California
- Source of wealth: Semiconductors, Self Made
- Higher education: Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Oregon State University; Master of Science in Engineering, Stanford University
Jensen Huang has a net worth of $40.0 billion (#26 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Semiconductors, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Oregon State University; Master of Science in Engineering, Stanford University
16. Charles Koch & family
Source: Gavin Peters / Wikimedia Commons
Charles Koch & family has a net worth of $54.5 billion (#23 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Koch Industries. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Master of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
15. Julia Koch & family
Source: Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Julia Koch & family has a net worth of $59.8 billion (#21 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. Her source of wealth is Koch Industries. She has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, the University of Central Arkansas
14. Alice Walton
Source: D Dipasupil / Getty Images
Alice Walton has a net worth of $65.1 billion (#19 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. Her source of wealth is Walmart. She has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Trinity University
13. Rob Walton & family
Source: Walmart / Flickr
Rob Walton & family has a net worth of $66.1 billion (#18 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Walmart. He has the following degrees: Doctor of Jurisprudence, Columbia University; Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Arkansas
12. Jim Walton & family
Source: walmartcorporate / Flickr
Jim Walton & family have a net worth of $66.8 billion (#17 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Walmart. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, from the University of Arkansas
11. Michael Dell
Source: ustin Sullivan / Getty Images
Michael Dell has a net worth of <$70.7 billion (#16 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Dell Technologies, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Drop Out from the University of Texas at Austin
10. Michael Bloomberg
Source: Oli Scarff / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Michael Bloomberg has a net worth of $96.3 billion (#11 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Bloomberg LP, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Master of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Bachelor of Arts/Science, Johns Hopkins University
9. Steve Ballmer
Source: Scott Halleran / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Steve Ballmer has a net worth of $97.8 billion (#10 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Microsoft, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Harvard University; Drop Out, Stanford University
8. Sergey Brin
Source: Kelly Sullivan / Getty Images
Sergey Brin has a net worth of $107.6 billion (#9 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Google, self-made. He has the following degrees: Master of Science, Stanford University; Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Maryland, College Park
6. Bill Gates
Source: Jack Taylor / Getty Images
Bill Gates has a net worth of $107.9 billion (#7 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Microsoft, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Drop Out, Harvard University
7. Mark Zuckerberg
Source: David Ramos / Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg has a net worth of $107.8 billion (#8 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Facebook, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Drop Out, Harvard University
5. Larry Page
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Larry Page has a net worth of $112.1 billion (#6 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Google, self-made. He has the following degrees: Master of Science, Stanford University; Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Michigan
4. Warren Buffett
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Warren Buffett has a net worth of $115.6 billion (#5 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Berkshire Hathaway, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Master of Science, Columbia University; Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Nebraska Lincoln
3. Larry Ellison
Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Larry Ellison has a net worth of $135.6 billion (#4 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Oracle, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Drop Out, University of Chicago; Drop Out, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2. Jeff Bezos
Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $151.9 billion (#3 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His source of wealth is Amazon, Self Made. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, Princeton University
1. Elon Musk
Source: Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc / Getty Images
Elon Musk has a net worth of $255.4 billion (#1 in the world) as of Oct. 2, 2023. His sources of wealth are Tesla, SpaceX, and Self-Made. He has the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Science, from the University of Pennsylvania
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