Being successful financially does not always correlate with academic background — brilliantly successful visionaries like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg found success without a college degree, let alone one from a prestigious university. However, when analyzing the data of alumni who became billionaires and millionaires, it’s clear that those who attend Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Stanford have an clear advantage.
Which Universities Have the Most Billionaire and Millionaire Alumni? infographicWhich Global Universities Have the Most Billionaire and Millionaire Alumni? Transcript
And How Much Wealth They Have Combined
| University | Number of Billionaire Alumni |
|---|---|
| Harvard University | 188 |
| Stanford University | 74 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 64 |
| Columbia University | 53 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 38 |
| Cornell University | 35 |
| Yale University | 31 |
| University of Southern California | 29 |
| University of Chicago | 29 |
| University of Michigan | 26 |
Top 20 Global Universities by Number of Alumni Worth More Than $30 Million, and Their Combined Net Worth
| University | Number of Alumni | Combined Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | 13,650 | $4,769 billion |
| Stanford University | 5,580 | $2,899 billion |
| University of Pennsylvania | 5,575 | $1,780 billion |
| Columbia University | 3,925 | $1,501 billion |
| New York University | 3,380 | $712 billion |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2,785 | $990 billion |
| University of Cambridge | 2,760 | $390 billion |
| Northwestern University | 2,725 | $389 billion |
| University of Southern California | 2,645 | $548 billion |
| University of Chicago | 2,405 | $707 billion |
| Yale University | 2,400 | $777 billion |
| University of California, Berkeley | 2,385 | $760 billion |
| University of Oxford | 2,290 | $349 billion |
| Cornell University | 2,245 | $483 billion |
| University of Texas at Austin | 2,195 | $463 billion |
| Princeton University | 2,180 | $1,126 billion |
| University of Notre Dame | 2,085 | $179 billion |
| University of Michigan | 1,970 | $691 billion |
| INSEAD | 1,965 | $356 billion |
| University of California, Los Angeles | 1,945 | $375 billion |
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_by_number_of_billionaire_alumni
What University Has the Most Billionaire Alumni?
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has produced the most billionaire alumni, at 188. Famous Harvard alumni include actresses Natalie Portman and Rashida Jones, actor Matt Damon, politicians Al Gore and Mitt Romney, television host Conan O’Brien, basketball legend Jeremy Lin, and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Who Are Some Famous Stanford Alumni Who Became Billionaires?
Stanford University in Stanford, California, has produced the second-most billionaire alumni, at 74. Famous Stanford attendees include Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, actress Reese Witherspoon, and golf legend Tiger Woods. Business magnate and industrial designer Elon Musk was accepted into a Ph.D. program for energy physics/materials science at Stanford in 1995 but ended up dropping out after two days in order to capitalize on the Internet boom and launch his first startup.
What Are Some University of Pennsylvania Notable Alumni?
The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia that has produced the third-most billionaire alumni, at 64. Famous University of Pennsylvania alumni include Donald Trump (who received a B.S. degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania) and his daughter, Ivanka Trump. Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet also attended the Wharton School at his father’s insistence, but he ended up transferring to the University of Nebraska. Singer-songwriter John Legend graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English with a focus on African-American literature from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.
What Are Some Famous MIT Alumni?
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has produced the fourth-most billionaire alumni, at 38. Famous MIT alumni include Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. He earned a doctorate in astronautics in 1963. In 1973, Shirley Ann Jackson became the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT. She became the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission during the Clinton presidency and now serves as president of the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
What Are Some Famous Yale Alumni?
Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, has produced the fifth-most billionaire alumni, at 31. Notable Yale alumni include the 41st president of the United States, George H.W. Bush, and the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush. Legendary actress and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Meryl Streep earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama in 1975.
Which Universities Have the Richest Graduates?
In terms of combined net worth from alumni worth more than $30 million, Harvard takes the cake with $4.769 trillion between the 13,650 alumni that fit into this category. Stanford is in second place, with $2.899 trillion between 5,580 alumni, and the University of Pennsylvania is in third place with $1.780 trillion between 5,575 alumni.