The Colleges with the Most Billionaire Alumni (2024)

FAQs

What university has the most billionaire alumni? ›

In June 2024, Forbes compiled a list of colleges with the most billionaire alumni. Of the 12 universities represented, seven are Ivy Leagues. University of Pennsylvania ranks No. 1, with 36 billionaires.

Engineering

This might surprise you, but the scope of engineering is huge and widening! KEY FACT: Engineering is the most common degree among billionaires. 22% of the world's top 100 billionaires studied engineering.

1. Harvard University: Harvard has produced numerous successful graduates across various fields like business, politics, law, science, and the arts. Notable alumni include Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, and Natalie Portman.

The University of Pennsylvania has the most billionaires among its alumni, with 36, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Stanford University ranks second, with 33, followed by Harvard, with 28, and Yale, with 19. Wealthy alumni networks often result in significant financial contributions to a university's endowment.

1. Harvard University. Learn more about Harvard University.

The education background of CEOs

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business Administration was the most popular undergraduate degrees among Fortune 100 CEOs, with 53% of CEOs identified as having obtained one of these two degrees.

In broader terms, the finance and investment profession has the most millionaires. It also has the most billionaires, with 371. Here's a list of the seven best careers if you want to be a millionaire.

The vast majority of billionaires however did make it to a bachelors degree, and many went farther. Twenty-two percent went on the nab a Master's degree, while 13.1% of all billionaires earned an MBA. About 9.5% took home a PhD, 3.4% can tout a JD, and a lesser 0.7% can hang an MD behind their desks.

Harvard University

Harvard's alumni network is arguably the most prestigious and far-reaching of any university. With over 370,000 living alumni across virtually every field, Harvard grads benefit from an unparalleled global network of accomplished seniors willing to hire and help fellows from their alma mater.

Harvard University

This Ivy League school is the oldest higher education institution in the country and has the largest endowment of any school in the world. Harvard University is a private institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.

What school has the most living alumni? ›

Penn State boasts the largest alumni numbers of them all, with almost 760,000 living alumni.

Among the biggest alumni networks for U.S. colleges are the previously mentioned Penn State and Indiana University, as well as the University of California and both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Penn State boasts the largest alumni numbers of them all, with almost 760,000 living alumni.

No College or University has more alumni who are now the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies than Harvard University, with 41 former students in those coveted spots at their respective companies.

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.