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Lists / Colleges Attended by Presidents

Colleges Attended by Presidents

Created by College Confidential

Have you ever wondered where the presidents have go to college? The most popular colleges attended by presidents are Harvard, Yale, William & Mary, Princeton, and the U.S. Military Academy. Here is a complete list of universities attended by presidents of the United States.

Eureka College

  • Eureka College
    Eureka, IL • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $28,380
    Out-of-State
    $28,380
    Acceptance Rate87%

    • Ronald Reagan studied economics and sociology at Eureka College and graduated in 1932. Reagan was even elected student body president while a student at Eureka.

    The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Chapel Hill, NC • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $8,998
    Out-of-State
    $39,338
    Acceptance Rate17%

    • James K. Polk graduated with a Bachelor of Art from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1818.

    Williams College

  • Williams College
    Williamstown, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $64,860
    Out-of-State
    $64,860
    Acceptance Rate8%

    • James A. Garfield studied law at Williams College and graduated in 1856.

    Hampden-Sydney College

  • Hampden-Sydney College
    Hampden-Sydney, VA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $50,740
    Out-of-State
    $50,740
    Acceptance Rate37%

    • William Henry Harrison attended Hampden-Sydney for three years between the ages of 14 and 17. At 17 he withdrew at the behest of his father.

    Whittier College

  • Whittier College
    Whittier, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $49,864
    Out-of-State
    $49,864
    Acceptance Rate77%

    • Richard Nixon graduated from Whittier College with a BA in 1934.

    University of Pennsylvania

  • University of Pennsylvania
    Philadelphia, PA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $66,104
    Out-of-State
    $66,104
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • Donald Trump graduated with a BS in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1968.

    University of Michigan

  • University of Michigan
    Ann Aarbor, MI • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $16,736
    Out-of-State
    $55,658
    Acceptance Rate18%

    • Gerald Ford graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in 1935.

    University of Delaware

  • University of Delaware
    Newark, DE • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $14,040
    Out-of-State
    $37,680
    Acceptance Rate70%

    • Joe Biden graduated with a BA from the University of Delaware in 1965.

    United States Naval Academy

  • United States Naval Academy
    Annapolis, MD • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    Unknown
    Out-of-State
    Unknown
    Acceptance Rate11%

    • Jimmy Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 where he earned a Bachelor of Science.

    Union College

  • Union College
    Schenectady, NY • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $66,456
    Out-of-State
    $66,456
    Acceptance Rate47%

    • Chester A. Arthur graduated from Union College in 1848.

    Texas State University

  • Texas State University
    San Marcos, TX • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $12,207
    Out-of-State
    $24,447
    Acceptance Rate88%

    • Lyndon B. Johnson graduated from Texas State University in 1930 with a BS in Education.

    Stanford University

  • Stanford University
    Stanford, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,936
    Out-of-State
    $63,936
    Acceptance Rate4%

    • Herbert Hoover graduated from Stanford in 1895 with a BS in geology.

    Occidental College

  • Occidental College
    Los Angeles, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,446
    Out-of-State
    $63,446
    Acceptance Rate39%

    • Barack Obama attended Occidental College before transferring to Columbia University.

    Miami University

  • Miami University
    Oxford, OH • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $17,808
    Out-of-State
    $40,024
    Acceptance Rate88%

    • Benjamin Harrison graduated from Miami University in 1852.

    Kenyon College

  • Kenyon College
    Gambier, OH • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $69,330
    Out-of-State
    $69,330
    Acceptance Rate34%

    • Rutherford B. Hayes graduated from Kenyon College in 1842.

    Hiram College

  • Hiram College
    Hiram, OH • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $25,500
    Out-of-State
    $25,500
    Acceptance Rate93%

    • James A. Garfield attended Hiram College before transferring to Williams College.

    Georgia Institute of Technology

  • Georgia Institute of Technology
    Atlanta, GA • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $11,764
    Out-of-State
    $32,876
    Acceptance Rate17%

    • Jimmy Carter attended Georgia Institute of Technology before transferring to the United States Naval Academy.

    Georgia Southwestern State University

  • Georgia Southwestern State University
    Americus, GA • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $5,996
    Out-of-State
    $19,398
    Acceptance Rate73%

    • Jimmy Carter attended Georgia Southwestern before transferring to Georgia Tech.

    Georgetown University

  • Georgetown University
    Washington, DC • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $65,076
    Out-of-State
    $65,076
    Acceptance Rate12%

    • Bill Clinton studied foreign service at Georgetown and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1968.

    Fordham University

  • Fordham University
    Bronx, NY • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $61,992
    Out-of-State
    $61,992
    Acceptance Rate54%

    • Donald Trump attended Fordham University for two years before transferring to The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

    Dickinson College

  • Dickinson College
    Carlisle, PA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,450
    Out-of-State
    $63,450
    Acceptance Rate35%

    • James Buchanan graduated from Dickinson College in 1809.

    Davidson College

  • Davidson College
    Davidson, NC • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $59,510
    Out-of-State
    $59,510
    Acceptance Rate17%

    • Woodrow Wilson briefly attended Davidson College before transferring to Princeton University.

    Columbia University

  • Columbia University
    New Yrok, NY • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $68,400
    Out-of-State
    $68,400
    Acceptance Rate4%

    • Barack Obama transferred to Columbia in 1981 and graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and in English literature.

    Bowdoin College

  • Bowdoin College
    Brunswick, ME • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    Unknown
    Out-of-State
    Unknown
    Acceptance Rate9%

    • Franklin Pierce graduated from Bowdoin college in 1824.

    Amherst College

  • Amherst College
    Amherst, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $67,280
    Out-of-State
    $67,280
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • Calvin Coolidge attended Amherst College and graduated with a BA in 1895.

    Allegheny College

  • Allegheny College
    Meadville, PA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $53,610
    Out-of-State
    $53,610
    Acceptance Rate70%

    • William McKinley attended Allegheny College from 1860 to 1861. He withdrew from college before completing his studies.

    United States Military Academy - West Point

  • United States Military Academy - West Point
    West Point, NY • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    Unknown
    Out-of-State
    Unknown
    Acceptance Rate12%

    • Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower both attended The United States Military Academy at West Point.

    Princeton University

  • Princeton University
    Princeton, NJ • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $59,710
    Out-of-State
    $59,710
    Acceptance Rate6%

    • Three presidents have attended Princeton, although only two graduated from the university. James Madison and Woodrow Wilson graduated from Princeton while John F. Kennedy attended the school for two months before withdrawing for health reasons.

    William & Mary

  • William & Mary
    Williamsburg, VA • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $25,040
    Out-of-State
    $48,841
    Acceptance Rate33%

    • The three presidents who attended William & Mary are Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler. Jefferson and Tyler both graduated from the university while Monroe ultimately withdrew before completing his studies there.

    Yale University

  • Yale University
    New Haven, CT • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $64,700
    Out-of-State
    $64,700
    Acceptance Rate5%

    • The three presidents who have attended Yale are William Howard Taft, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

    Harvard University

  • Harvard University
    Cambridge, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $59,076
    Out-of-State
    $59,076
    Acceptance Rate3%

    • More presidents have attended Harvard than any other university. Presidents who attended Harvard are John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.

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