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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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