List of presidents of the United States by education

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Most presidents of the United States received a college education, even most of the earliest. Of the first seven presidents, five were college graduates. College degrees have set the presidents apart from the general population, and presidents have held degrees even though it was quite rare and unnecessary for practicing most occupations, including law. Of the forty-four individuals to have been the president, twenty-four of them graduated from a private undergraduate college, nine graduated from a public undergraduate college, and twelve held no degree. Every president since 1953 has had a bachelor's degree, reflecting the increasing importance of higher education in the United States.

List by university attended[]

Did not graduate from college[]

  • George Washington (Although the death of Washington's father ended his formal schooling, he received a surveyor's certificate from the College of William and Mary. Washington believed strongly in formal education, and his will left money and/or stocks to support three educational institutions.)[1]
  • James Monroe (attended the College of William and Mary, but dropped out to fight in the Revolutionary War)
  • Andrew Jackson
  • Martin Van Buren
  • William Henry Harrison (attended Hampden Sydney College for three years but did not graduate and then attended University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine but never received a degree)[2][3][4]
  • Zachary Taylor
  • Millard Fillmore (founded the University at Buffalo)
  • Abraham Lincoln (had only about a year of formal schooling of any kind)
  • Andrew Johnson (no formal schooling of any kind)
  • Grover Cleveland
  • William McKinley (attended Allegheny College, but did not graduate; also attended Albany Law School, but also did not graduate)
  • Harry S. Truman (went to business college and law school, but did not graduate)

Undergraduate[]

School Location President(s)
Allegheny College Meadville, Pennsylvania
  • William McKinley (withdrew)
Amherst College Amherst, Massachusetts
Bowdoin College Brunswick, Maine
  • Franklin Pierce
The College of William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • James Monroe (withdrew)
  • John Tyler
Columbia University New York, New York
  • Barack Obama
Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina
  • Woodrow Wilson (transferred to Princeton University)
Dickinson College Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Eureka College Eureka, Illinois
  • Ronald Reagan
Fordham University New York, New York
  • Donald Trump (transferred to the University of Pennsylvania)
Georgetown University Washington, D.C.
  • Bill Clinton
Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia
  • Jimmy Carter (transferred to United States Naval Academy)
Georgia Southwestern State University Americus, Georgia
  • Jimmy Carter (transferred to Georgia Institute of Technology)
Hampden–Sydney College Hampden Sydney, Virginia
  • William Henry Harrison (withdrew)
Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • John Adams
  • John Quincy Adams
  • Theodore Roosevelt
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • John F. Kennedy
Hiram College Hiram, Ohio
  • James A. Garfield (transferred to Williams College)
Kenyon College Gambier, Ohio
  • Rutherford B. Hayes
London School of EconomicsA London, United Kingdom
  • John F. Kennedy (transferred to Princeton University)
Miami University Oxford, Ohio
  • Benjamin Harrison
Mount Union College Alliance, Ohio
  • William McKinley (withdrew)
Occidental College Los Angeles, California
  • Barack Obama (transferred to Columbia University)
Ohio Central College Iberia, Ohio
  • Warren G. Harding
Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey
Texas State University San Marcos, Texas
  • Lyndon B. Johnson
Spalding's Commercial College Kansas City, Missouri
  • Harry S. Truman (withdrew)
Stanford University Stanford, California
  • Herbert Hoover
Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
Union College Schenectady, New York
  • Chester A. Arthur
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware
  • Joe Biden
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Gerald Ford
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • James K. Polk
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Donald Trump
United States Military Academy West Point, New York
  • Ulysses S. Grant
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower
United States Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland
  • Jimmy Carter
Whittier College Whittier, California
  • Richard Nixon
Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts
  • James A. Garfield
Yale University New Haven, Connecticut
  • William Howard Taft
  • George H. W. Bush
  • George W. Bush
A.^ JFK enrolled, but did not attend

Additional undergraduate information[]

Some presidents attended more than one institution. George Washington never attended college, though The College of William & Mary did issue him a surveyor's certificate.[5] Two presidents have attended a foreign college at the undergraduate level: John Quincy Adams at Leiden University and Bill Clinton at the University of Oxford (John F. Kennedy intended to study at the London School of Economics, but failed to attend as he fell ill before classes began.)

Three presidents have attended the United States Service academies: Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, while Jimmy Carter graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. No presidents have graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy or the much newer U.S. Air Force Academy. Eisenhower also graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College, Army Industrial College and Army War College. These were not degree granting institutions when Eisenhower attended, but were part of his professional education as a career soldier.

Graduate school[]

A total of 18 presidents attended some form of graduate school (including professional schools). Among them, nine presidents received a graduate degree during their lifetimes; two more received graduate degrees posthumously.

Business school[]

School Location President(s)
Stanford University Graduate School of Business Palo Alto, California
  • John F. Kennedy (auditor)
Harvard Business School Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • George W. Bush (MBA)

Political science[]

School Location President(s)
Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences Baltimore, Maryland
  • Woodrow Wilson (PhD)

Medical school[]

School Location President(s)
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • William Henry Harrison (withdrew)

Law school[]

School Location President(s)
Albany Law School Albany, New York
  • William McKinley (withdrew)
Columbia Law School New York, New York
  • Theodore Roosevelt (withdrew; JD awarded posthumously in 2008, Class of 1882)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt (withdrew; JD awarded posthumously in 2008, Class of 1907)
Duke University School of Law Durham, North Carolina
  • Richard Nixon (LLB)
Georgetown University Law Center Washington, D.C.
  • Lyndon B. Johnson (withdrew)
Harvard Law School Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Rutherford B. Hayes (LLB)
  • Barack Obama (JD)
University of Michigan Law School Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Gerald Ford (transferred)
Northampton Law School Northampton, Massachusetts
  • Franklin Pierce (did not graduate)
State and National Law School Ballston Spa, New York
  • Chester A. Arthur (did not graduate)
Syracuse Law School Syracuse, New York
  • Joe Biden (JD)
University of Cincinnati College of Law Cincinnati, Ohio
  • William Howard Taft (LLB)
University of Kansas City School of Law Kansas City, Missouri
  • Harry S. Truman (withdrew)
University of Virginia School of Law Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Woodrow Wilson (withdrew)
Yale Law School New Haven, Connecticut
  • Gerald Ford (LLB)
  • Bill Clinton (JD)

Several presidents who were lawyers did not attend law school, but became lawyers after independent study under the tutelage of established attorneys.[6] Some had attended college before beginning their legal studies, and several studied law without first having attended college. Presidents who were lawyers but did not attend law school include: John Adams; Thomas Jefferson; James Madison; James Monroe; John Quincy Adams; Andrew Jackson; Martin Van Buren; John Tyler; James K. Polk; Millard Fillmore; James Buchanan; Abraham Lincoln; James A. Garfield; Grover Cleveland; Benjamin Harrison; and Calvin Coolidge.

Presidents who were admitted to the bar after a combination of law school and independent study include; Franklin Pierce; Chester A. Arthur; William McKinley; and Woodrow Wilson.

List by graduate degree earned[]

Ph.D. (doctorate)[]

School Location President(s)
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland
  • Woodrow Wilson

M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration)[]

School Location President(s)
Harvard Business School Boston, Massachusetts
  • George W. Bush

J.D. or LL.B. (law degree)[]

School Location President(s)
University of Cincinnati College of Law Cincinnati, Ohio
  • William Howard Taft
Duke University Law School Durham, North Carolina
  • Richard Nixon
Yale Law School New Haven, Connecticut
  • Gerald Ford
  • Bill Clinton
Harvard Law School Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Rutherford B. Hayes
  • Barack Obama
Syracuse Law School Syracuse, New York
  • Joe Biden

Note: Hayes, Taft, Nixon and Ford were awarded LL.B. degrees.[7][8][9][10] When U.S. law schools began to use the J.D. as the professional law degree in the 1960s, previous graduates had the choice of converting their LL.B. degrees to a J.D.[11][12] Duke University Law School made the change in 1968,[13] and Yale Law School in 1971.[14] Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt, both of whom attended Columbia Law School but withdrew before graduating, were awarded posthumous J.D. degrees in 2008.[15]

List by president[]

Presidents High school or equivalent Undergraduate school Graduate school
George Washington Glenwood High School none none
John Adams Braintree Latin School Harvard University none
Thomas Jefferson James Maury's School The College of William and Mary none
James Madison Donald Robertson's School Princeton University none
James Monroe Campbelltown Academy The College of William and Mary (did not graduate) none
John Quincy Adams Passy Academy Leiden University (transferred)
Harvard University 		none
Andrew Jackson William Humphries' Academy
James White Stephenson's Academy 		none none
Martin Van Buren Kinderhook Academy
Washington Seminary 		none none
William Henry Harrison Millfield Academy Hampden–Sydney College (withdrew) University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (withdrew)
John Tyler College of William and Mary Preparatory School The College of William and Mary none
James K. Polk Zion Presbyterian Church Academy
Bradley Academy 		University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill none
Zachary Taylor Kean O'Hara's Academy[16] none none
Millard Fillmore New Hope Academy none none
Franklin Pierce Phillips Exeter Academy Bowdoin College Northampton Law School (withdrew)
James Buchanan Old Stone Academy Dickinson College none
Abraham Lincoln none none none
Andrew Johnson none none none
Ulysses S. Grant Maysville Academy United States Military Academy none
Rutherford B. Hayes Norwalk Seminary
The Webb School 		Kenyon College Harvard Law School
James Garfield Geauga Seminary Hiram College (transferred)
Williams College 		none
Chester A. Arthur Schenectady Lyceum and Academy Union College State and National Law School (did not graduate)
Grover Cleveland Clinton Academy none none
Benjamin Harrison Farmers' College Miami University none
William McKinley Poland Academy Allegheny College (withdrew)
Mount Union College (withdrew) 		Albany Law School (withdrew)
Theodore Roosevelt Schooled at home by parents and private tutors Harvard University Columbia Law School (withdrew) (awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1882)
William Howard Taft Woodward High School Yale University University of Cincinnati College of Law
Woodrow Wilson Schooled at home by parents and private tutors Davidson College (transferred)
Princeton University 		University of Virginia School of Law (withdrew)
Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.)
Warren G. Harding Caledonia High School Ohio Central College none
Calvin Coolidge Black River Academy
St. Johnsbury Academy 		Amherst College none
Herbert Hoover Attended business courses as a teenager in Oregon,
Schooled by private tutor prior to attending college 		Stanford University none
Franklin D. Roosevelt Groton School Harvard University Columbia Law School (withdrew) (awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1907)
Harry S. Truman Independence High School Spalding's Commercial College (withdrew) University of Kansas City School of Law (withdrew)
Dwight D. Eisenhower Abilene High School United States Military Academy (West Point) United States Army Command and General Staff College
United States Army Industrial College
United States Army War College
John F. Kennedy The Choate School London School of Economics (General Course Program)
Princeton University (transferred)
Harvard University
 Stanford Graduate School of Business (auditor)
Lyndon B. Johnson Johnson City High School Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University) Georgetown University Law Center (withdrew)
Richard Nixon Whittier High School Whittier College Duke University School of Law
Gerald Ford Grand Rapids South High School University of Michigan University of Michigan Law School (transferred)
Yale Law School
Jimmy Carter Plains High School Georgia Southwestern College (transferred)
Georgia Institute of Technology (transferred)
United States Naval Academy 		Union College (Postgraduate Nuclear Physics Course Program)
Ronald Reagan Dixon High School Eureka College none
George H. W. Bush Phillips Academy Yale University none
Bill Clinton Hot Springs High School Georgetown University University of Oxford (Rhodes Scholar; withdrew)
Yale Law School
George W. Bush Phillips Academy Yale University Harvard Business School
Barack Obama Punahou School Occidental College (transferred)
Columbia University 		Harvard Law School
Donald Trump New York Military Academy Fordham University (transferred)
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania 		none
Joe Biden Archmere Academy University of Delaware Syracuse University College of Law

Other academic associations[]

Faculty member[]

President(s) School Position Years
James A. Garfield Hiram College Professor of Latin, Greek, Mathematics, History, Philosophy, Rhetoric and English literature 1857–1861[17]
Grover Cleveland Princeton University Stafford Little Lecturer on Public Affairs 1899–1908[18]
William Howard Taft University of Cincinnati College of Law Dean 1896–1900[19]
Yale Law School Kent Professor of Law 1913–1921
Boston University School of Law Lecturer on Legal Ethics[20] 1918–1921
Woodrow Wilson Bryn Mawr College Professor of Politics and History 1885–1888[21]
Wesleyan University Professor of Politics 1888–1890[21]
Princeton University Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Economy 1890–1902
Harry S. Truman Yale University Chubb Fellow Visiting Lecturer 1958[22]
Canisius College Visiting Lecturer 1962[23]
Richard Nixon Whittier College Adjunct lecturer, taught undergraduate legal studies class 1937–1942
Jimmy Carter Emory University University Distinguished Professor 1982–Present
George H. W. Bush Rice University Part-Time Professor of Administrative Science 1978
Bill Clinton University of Arkansas Assistant Professor of Law[24] 1973–1977
Barack Obama University of Chicago Law School Senior Lecturer[25] 1992–2004
Joe Biden Widener University Delaware Law School Adjunct Professor[26] 1991-2008
University of Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice professor[27] 2017-2019

School rector or president[]

President(s) School Position Years
Thomas Jefferson University of Virginia 1st Rector 1819–1826
James Madison University of Virginia 2nd Rector 1826–1836
James A. Garfield Hiram College President 1857–1860
Millard Fillmore University of Buffalo Chancellor 1846–1874
Woodrow Wilson Princeton University President 1902–1910
Dwight D. Eisenhower Columbia University President 1948–1953

School trustee or governor[]

President(s) School Position Years
George Washington College of William and Mary Chancellor 1788–1799
Washington College Allowed use of his name, Benefactor, Board of Governors 1782–1799
Washington and Lee University Benefactor[28] 1796
Thomas Jefferson University of Virginia Board of Visitors 1819–1826
James Madison University of Virginia Board of Visitors 1819–1836
Madison College (Pennsylvania) Allowed use of his name; benefactor: contributed funds ($2,000 in 1827 dollars) towards founding[29] 1827
James Monroe University of Virginia Board of Visitors 1826–1831
John Quincy Adams Harvard University Board of Overseers 1830–1848
Andrew Jackson University of Nashville Board of Trustees 1806–1845[30]
Martin Van Buren University of the State of New York Board of Regents 1816–1829
John Tyler College of William and Mary Chancellor 1859–1862
Millard Fillmore University at Buffalo Chancellor 1846–1874
Franklin Pierce Norwich University Board of Trustees 1841–1859
James Buchanan Franklin & Marshall College President, Board of Trustees 1853–1865
Rutherford B. Hayes The Ohio State University Board of Trustees 1881–1893
Western Reserve University Chairman of the Board of Trustees 1881–1893
Ohio Wesleyan University Board of Trustees 1884–1893
James A. Garfield Hiram College Board of Trustees 1866–1881
Hampton University Board of Trustees 1877–1881
Benjamin Harrison Purdue University Board of Trustees 1895–1901
Grover Cleveland Princeton University Board of Trustees 1901–1908
William McKinley American University Board of Trustees 1899–1901
Theodore Roosevelt American University Board of Trustees 1900–1919
Harvard University Board of Overseers 1895–1901, 1915–1916
William Howard Taft Yale University Member of the Yale Corporation 1901–1913
Hampton University Board of Trustees 1909–1930
Warren G. Harding American University Board of Trustees 1921–1923
Calvin Coolidge Amherst College Board of Trustees (life member) 1921–1933
Herbert Hoover Stanford University Board of Trustees 1923–1960
American University Board of Trustees 1945–1950
Franklin D. Roosevelt Harvard University Board of Overseers 1917–1923
Vassar College Board of Trustees 1923–1945
Dwight D. Eisenhower Eisenhower College Namesake, fundraiser 1965–1969
John F. Kennedy Harvard University Board of Overseers 1957–1958
Jimmy Carter Mercer University Board of Trustees 2012–present
Ronald Reagan Eureka College Board of Trustees 1947–1953, 1967–1973, 1974–1980

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-11-01. Retrieved 2008-11-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Freehling, William (October 4, 2016). "William Henry Harrison: Impact and Legacy". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia.
  3. ^ https://millercenter.org/president/harrison/life-before-the-presidency accessed August 13, 2021
  4. ^ Owens, Robert M. (2007). Mr. Jefferson's Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3842-8.
  5. ^ "George Washington's Professional Surveys". U.S. National Archives. 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  6. ^ "Lincoln Legal Career Timeline". Abraham Lincoln Online.org. Abraham Lincoln Online. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Hoogenboom, Ari (1995). Rutherford Hayes: Warrior and President. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-0-7006-0641-2.
  8. ^ "William Howard Taft". Laws.com. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Gellman, Irwin F. (2017). The Contender: Richard Nixon, the Congress Years, 1946–1952. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-300-22020-9.
  10. ^ "Gerald R. Ford Biography". Fordlibrarymuseum.gov/. Grand rapids, MI: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  11. ^ Bear, John (2001). Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-58008-202-0.
  12. ^ Hylton, J. Gordon (January 11, 2012). "Why the Law Degree is Called a J.D. and not an LL.B." Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog. Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University.
  13. ^ Bolich, W. Bryan (1968). Duke Law School 1868–1968: A Sketch (PDF). Durham, NC: Duke University Law School. p. xxiv.
  14. ^ Mwenda, Kenneth Kaoma (2007). Comparing American and British Legal Education Systems. Youngstown, NY: Cambria Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-934-043-51-6.
  15. ^ Kelly, Erin St. John (September 25, 2008). "Presidents Roosevelt Awarded Posthumous J.D.s". Columbia law School News. New York, NY: Columbia Law School.
  16. ^ Johnston, J. Stoddard (1913). "Sketch of Theodore O'Hara". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Frankfort, KY: State Journal Company. p. 67.
  17. ^ Joseph Nathan Kane, Facts About the Presidents (New York: Simon & Schuster [Pocket Books], 1968 [5th printing]), 194.
  18. ^ Leitch, Alexander (1978). "Biography, Grover Cleveland". A Princeton Companion. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  19. ^ UC.edu Archived 2006-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "BU School of Law Timeline". Boston University. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Biography of Wilson on Princeton Web.
  22. ^ Robert H. Ferrell, Farewell to the Chief: Former Presidents in American Public Life, 1991, page 52
  23. ^ U.S. Government Printing Office, Congressional Record, Volume 108, Part 4, 1962, page 5168.
  24. ^ Kaczynski, Andrew; Apper, Megan (February 2, 2015). "Here's Bill Clinton's Personnel File From His Time As An Arkansas College Professor". buzzfeednews.com/. New York, NY: Buzzfeednews.com.
  25. ^ "Statement regarding Barack Obama". University of Chicago Law School. March 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  26. ^ Carey, Kathleen E. (August 27, 2008). "Widener students proud of Biden". Daily Times. Denver, CO: MediaNews Group, Inc.
  27. ^ Shelbourne, Talis (October 15, 2020). "Fact Check: Was Joe Biden Ever a 'Professor in College'?". Heavy.com. New York, NY.
  28. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2013-01-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  29. ^ Reynolds, G.T. (1902). "Madison College". In Haskins, Charles Homer; Hull, William Isaac (eds.). A History of Higher Education in Pennsylvania. Government Printing Office. pp. 155–7. Madison College Pennsylvania.
  30. ^ University of Nashville Board of Trustees (1892). The University of Nashville, 1785 to 1892. Nashville, TN: Marshall & Bruce. p. 5. Note: In 1791, Jackson was appointed to the board of trustees of Davidson Academy. Jackson continued on the board when the school was reorganized as Cumberland College in 1806. In 1826, Cumberland College was reincorporated as the University of Nashville, and Jackson remained a member of the board of trustees until his death.
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