Is going to a prestigious university the key to getting rich? All 25 of the richest Americans attended at least some college, and most graduated. To determine where America’s richest people went to college, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed net worth statistics from Forbes‘ real time billionaire’s ranking, a snapshot of wealth, as of late last year. Alma mater information came from different sources.
About a fifth of the nation’s billionaire, including Michael Dell and Larry Ellison, dropped out of college before finishing their undergraduate degree. (Though this may not have been the reason, the increasing cost of college deters some Americans from acquiring higher education. To address this, some prestigious schools are among the colleges that promise zero student debt.)
Over half of the 25 of the richest Americans went to Ivy League schools, including the three wealthiest. Others attended public state universities, and a few went to small, private liberal arts colleges. Harvard is the most attended university. Four of the 25 richest Americans attended the university, though Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg dropped out before graduating
Most of America’s richest citizens studied subjects related to their careers and sources of wealth. Elon Musk earned undergraduate degrees in both economics and physics. Jeff Bezos studied electrical engineering and computer science. Nike founder Phil Knight studied business and competed as a middle-distance runner for the University of Oregon track and field team.
There are a few outliers. Mars candy company heiress Jacqueline Mars studied anthropology, for example.
The 25 richest people in America have a collective wealth of $1.7 trillion, more than the gross domestic product of most countries. Though these billionaires attended a range of universities, a top-tier education often forges relationships and connections and can certainly help with future earnings prospects — but is no guarantee of joining the top 1%. (Also check out the most educated big cities in the country.)
Correction: A previous version of this story, in summarizing Len Blavatnik’s career, omitted the fact that he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989.
Click here to see where America’s 25 riches0t billionaires went to college.
Jim Simons
> Net worth as of 2022: $28.1 billion
> Resident state: New York
> Industry: Finance & Investments
> Higher education: MIT (Class of 1958); University of California, Berkeley grad school
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Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Stephen Schwarzman
> Net worth as of 2022: $29.1 billion
> Resident state: New York
> Industry: Finance & Investments
> Higher education: Yale University (Class of 1969); Harvard Business School
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Jeff Yass
> Net worth as of 2022: $30 billion
> Resident state: Pennsylvania
> Industry: Finance & Investments
> Higher education: SUNY Binghamton (Class of 1968)
Source: Araya Doheny / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Len Blavatnik
> Net worth as of 2022: $30.7 billion
> Resident state:
> Industry: Diversified
> Higher education: Columbia University (Class of 1981) and Harvard Business School
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Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Ken Griffin
> Net worth as of 2022: $30.8 billion
> Resident state: Florida
> Industry: Finance & Investments
> Higher education: Harvard University (Class of 1989)
Source: WPA Pool / Getty Images
John Mars
> Net worth as of 2022: $37 billion
> Resident state: Wyoming
> Industry: Food & Beverage
> Higher education: Yale University (Class of 1957)
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Source: Pool / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Jacqueline Mars
> Net worth as of 2022: $37 billion
> Resident state: Virginia
> Industry: Food & Beverage
> Higher education: Bryn Mawr College (Class of 1961)
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Source: Jerod Harris / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
MacKenzie Scott
> Net worth as of 2022: $37.7 billion
> Resident state: Washington
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: Princeton University (Class of 1992)
Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Phil Knight & family
> Net worth as of 2022: $41.5 billion
> Resident state: Oregon
> Industry: Fashion & Retail
> Higher education: University of Oregon (Class of 1959)
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Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Michael Dell
> Net worth as of 2022: $50 billion
> Resident state: Texas
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: University of Texas (Dropped out)
Alice Walton
> Net worth as of 2022: $55.7 billion
> Resident state: Texas
> Industry: Fashion & Retail
> Higher education: Trinity University (Class of 1970)
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Julia Koch & family
> Net worth as of 2022: $56 billion
> Resident state: New York
> Industry: Diversified
> Higher education: University of Central Arkansas (Class of 1984)
Source: Courtesy of Koch Industries
Charles Koch
> Net worth as of 2022: $56 billion
> Resident state: Kansas
> Industry: Diversified
> Higher education: MIT (Class of 1957)
Rob Walton
> Net worth as of 2022: $56.7 billion
> Resident state: Arkansas
> Industry: Fashion & Retail
> Higher education: University of Arkansas (Class of 1966); Columbia Law School
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Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg
> Net worth as of 2022: $57.7 billion
> Resident state: California
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: Harvard University (Dropped out)
Jim Walton
> Net worth as of 2022: $57.9 billion
> Resident state: Arkansas
> Industry: Fashion & Retail
> Higher education: University of Arkansas (Class of 1971)
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Source: Andrew Burton / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Michael Bloomberg
> Net worth as of 2022: $76.8 billion
> Resident state: New York
> Industry: Media & Entertainment
> Higher education: Johns Hopkins University (Class of 1964); Harvard University grad school
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Source: Sean Gallup / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Steve Ballmer
> Net worth as of 2022: $83 billion
> Resident state: Washington
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: Harvard University (Class of 1977)
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Sergey Brin
> Net worth as of 2022: $89 billion
> Resident state: California
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: University of Maryland (Class of 1993); Stanford University grad school
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Source: Chris Hondros / Getty Images
Larry Page
> Net worth as of 2022: $93 billion
> Resident state: California
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: University of Michigan (Class of 1995); Stanford University grad school
Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Warren Buffett
> Net worth as of 2022: $97 billion
> Resident state: Nebraska
> Industry: Finance & Investments
> Higher education: University of Pennsylvania, University of Nebraska (Class of 1950); Columbia Business School, New York Institute of Finance
grad school
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Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images
Larry Ellison
> Net worth as of 2022: $101 billion
> Resident state: Hawaii
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: University of Illinois, University of Chicago (Dropped out of both)
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Bill Gates
> Net worth as of 2022: $106 billion
> Resident state: Washington
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: Harvard University (Dropped out)
Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Jeff Bezos
> Net worth as of 2022: $151 billion
> Resident state: Washington
> Industry: Technology
> Higher education: Princeton University (Class of 1986)
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Elon Musk
> Net worth as of 2022: $251 billion
> Resident state: Texas
> Industry: Automotive
> Higher education: University of Pennsylvania (Class of 1995)
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