Nearly a third of the world's billionaires didn't graduate college (2024)

FAQs

What percentage of billionaires do not have a college degree? ›

739 out of 2,473 billionaires do not have degrees. That makes the percentage 0.298 or rounded up to 30%. As I said to my son in his senior year of college (when he wanted to drop out with one semester left and used Bill Gates as an example) if you can guarantee me that you will be a billionaire quit.

In addition to the two dozen billionaires who have only a high school degree, there are three billionaires who never even got a diploma: former hairdresser and founder of OGX hair care products Todd Christopher, cable TV pioneer Alan Gerry and Dole Foods' David Murdock.

Ramsey Solutions conducted what it calls the largest study of millionaires ever, with 10,000 participants. It found that 88% of millionaires graduated from college, compared to 38% of the general population.

Steve Wozniak

He briefly attended the University of California at Berkeley, which is when he met high school student Steve Jobs through a mutual friend. Steve Wozniak worked for Hewlett-Packard for a short time before quitting to join forces with Jobs to found Apple. His net worth is $10 million.

Some of the most iconic entrepreneurs of our time have been college dropouts, including Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison, all of whom quit school and went on to make it onto world's-wealthiest lists.

Microsoft's cofounder Bill Gates lacked motivation when he was at school and was 'lazy' at math. He admitted in his podcast that he used to think "the less effort you put in, the cooler you were." The billionaire dropped out of Harvard University to join the computing revolution and start Microsoft.

Before he became CEO of Amazon (and the world's richest person), Bezos graduated from Princeton University in 1986 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science, after changing his major from physics.

I could go on and on and on… but since, according to Forbes, 30% of billionaires dropped out of college, for me to list roughly 700 names would be as much a case of “overkill” as it would be for a hunter to shoot, if not beat, a dead horse 700 times!

You no longer need a college degree to get a high-paying job. Many of the top companies in the U.S., including Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Uber and Nike, have removed degree requirements from some job postings. But you don't need to work for a major corporation to get rich.

Originally known as Shawn Carter, Jay-Z never graduated from high school. That didn't stop the multi-Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist from becoming a successful entrepreneur.

What is the average GPA of millionaires? ›

According to the book “The Millionaire Mind,” the average college GPA of a millionaire was 2.9. They found no statistical correlation between economic productivity and academic performance. “Smarter” people tend to take less risk.

Mark Zuckerberg did not graduate from Harvard. He attended the university as an undergraduate but dropped out. Mr. Zuckerberg received an honorary doctorate from Harvard in 2017.

Oprah Winfrey at Tennessee State graduation: Expelled Black lawmakers 'building on the legacy of giants' Winfrey graduated from Tennessee State University in 1986. More than 600 TSU undergraduates earn diplomas.

Young stardom made pursuing college a distant dream for Swift, but she graduated high school even while on tour for her first album. The artist does not have a college degree, but she has personally supported students struggling with paying their tuition.

I could go on and on and on… but since, according to Forbes, 30% of billionaires dropped out of college, for me to list roughly 700 names would be as much a case of “overkill” as it would be for a hunter to shoot, if not beat, a dead horse 700 times!

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.

You don't need a college degree to become wealthy or be successful. Many people can build wealth or become rich without a college degree.

You no longer need a college degree to get a high-paying job. Many of the top companies in the U.S., including Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Uber and Nike, have removed degree requirements from some job postings. But you don't need to work for a major corporation to get rich.