10 Billionaires Who Didn’t Go to College: List + Insights

While a college degree can open doors to high-paying jobs and exciting careers, it’s not the only path to success. Some of the world’s wealthiest individuals became billionaires without graduating from college. Will this path work for everyone? Probably not, but it’s still a good idea to learn from their stories and see what lessons might apply to you.

In this blog, we’ll share a list of billionaires who didn’t go to college, including inventors, writers, and celebrities. We’ll also explore what we can learn from their experiences and what it means for high school students applying to college.

• Billionaires Without College Degrees
• What Percent of Billionaires Went to College?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

Billionaires Without College Degrees

It’s always inspiring to see how some individuals rose from humble beginnings to become some of the wealthiest people in the world. Below, we’ll explore a list of billionaires who didn’t go to college but were able to achieve financial success—and what they did to get there.

1. Bill Gates

Estimated net worth: $149 billion

Known for: Co-founder of Microsoft

Often called “Harvard’s most successful dropout,” Bill Gates is one of the richest and most successful people in the world. A billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, he’s best known for co-founding Microsoft. This thoughtful, bespectacled computer programmer from Seattle has remained one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet for decades.

After high school, Gates attended Harvard University, where he quickly became one of the top students in math and computer science. He scored an impressive 1590 out of 1600 on his SATs and was on track for a promising future. However, Gates had other plans, and he dropped out of Harvard in his junior year to co-found Microsoft with Paul Allen.

Today, with an estimated net worth of $149 billion, Bill Gates is a great example of how taking risks, following your passion, and seizing opportunities can pay off big time.

2. Ralph Lauren

Estimated net worth: $10.6 billion

Known for: Founder of luxury brand Ralph Lauren

If you’re into fashion, there’s no way you haven’t heard of Ralph Lauren. The namesake designer founded the luxury brand and built an empire known for timeless style and sophistication.

After studying business for two years at Baruch College in Manhattan, Ralph Lauren dropped out of school and joined the Army. Upon leaving the Army, he landed a job at tie manufacturer A. Rivetz & Co. He quickly made his mark by going against the grain: designing wide ties in an era dominated by skinny ties. He went on to start his own business, selling half a million dollars worth of ties in the first year.

Today, Ralph Lauren is a fashion tycoon with an empire that spans menswear, womenswear, jeans, fragrances, accessories, and homewares. From humble beginnings to building the iconic Polo brand, he’s proven that taking an unusual path can lead to great success.

3. Larry Ellison

Estimated net worth: $147 billion

Known for: Co-founder, chairman, and CTO of Oracle

Larry Ellison is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Oracle, a multi-billion dollar enterprise software company. His story is unique because despite dropping out of college twice, he still became very successful.

Ellison started studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) but left after his sophomore year following the death of his adoptive mother. He then enrolled at the University of Chicago (UChicago), only to drop out again after just one semester. In 1977, he founded Software Development Labs, which eventually became Oracle.

He’s now one of the richest men in the world and enjoys his life on Lana’i, the Hawaiian island he purchased in 2012.

4. Steve Jobs

Estimated net worth (at time of death in 2011): $7 billion

Known for: Co-founder of Apple

Steve Jobs is a shining example of how dropping out of college can still lead to success. The co-founder and former CEO of Apple and Pixar was known for his visionary leadership and role in shaping Apple into what it is today. Although he passed away in October 2011 from pancreatic cancer, Jobs left a lasting impact on the technology, computer, and animation industries.

Jobs attended Reed College in the Pacific Northwest but dropped out after just six months. Despite leaving school, he continued to audit courses he was interested in. In the words of his alma mater, he’s “Reed College’s most famous college dropout.”

However, it’s not like he didn’t gain anything from his time in college. Jobs was inspired by the calligraphy on his campus posters and wanted to create a computer interface that was just as beautiful. After reconnecting with his friend Steve Wozniak, Jobs co-founded Apple Computers in his garage.

5. Mark Zuckerberg

Estimated net worth: $183 billion

Known for: Co-founder and CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook)

It would be hard to create a list of wealthy college dropouts without including Mark Zuckerberg. As the Co-founder and CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), he’s known worldwide for creating the largest social media platform. His fame skyrocketed even more with the release of the Oscar-winning 2010 film, The Social Network.

Like Bill Gates, Zuckerberg attended Harvard but never graduated. He dropped out after launching the initial version of Facebook and seeing its rapid success.

In hindsight, it’s a good thing Zuckerberg gave college a try. Had he not attended the Ivy League school, he might never have met his roommates—Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes—who helped him turn the idea for Facebook into a reality, all from their dorm room.

6. Richard Branson

Estimated net worth: $2.8 billion

Known for: Founder of the Virgin Group

Another example of a billionaire with no college degree is British entrepreneur Richard Branson, one of the world’s most famous businessmen. He left school at just 16 years old to start Student magazine, his first successful business venture. Unlike others on this list, Branson never attended college at all.

The success of Student led to the creation of a mail-order record company called Virgin. He later built a recording studio and founded the Virgin Records label. Over time, Branson expanded Virgin to include more than 200 companies in 30 countries, spanning industries like travel, hospitality, and communications.

In 2000, Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for his many entrepreneurial achievements. Like Larry Ellison, Branson also bought and now owns his own island in the Caribbean.

7. Kim Kardashian

Estimated net worth: $1.7 billion

Known for: Reality television personality and entrepreneur

While most people on this list made their mark in tech, Kim Kardashian became famous through entertainment. She first rose to prominence with her personal life and the hit TV series Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but her billion-dollar fortune largely comes from her many businesses.

Kardashian launched successful brands like SKKN BY KIM and SKIMS, covering everything from skincare to shapewear. She briefly attended Pierce College but didn’t complete her degree. Still, that hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her dream of becoming a lawyer, and she’s been apprenticing with a San Francisco law firm since.

8. Ted Turner

Estimated net worth: $2.8 billion

Known for: Founder of CNN

Ted Turner is a broadcasting entrepreneur best known for creating major TV channels like Cable News Network (CNN), Cartoon Network, and Turner Network Television (TNT). He grew up in an affluent family and wanted to join the U.S. Naval Academy but enrolled at Brown University instead.

Before he could graduate, he was expelled for reportedly having a woman in his dorm room (yep, seriously). After that, his father gave him a job managing the Macon, Georgia branch of Turner Advertising. When his father passed away in 1963, Turner took over the company, eventually transforming it into Turner Broadcasting Company.

Today, the CNN founder has a net worth of $2.8 billion. His story proves that setbacks like expulsion don’t have to define your future—especially if you’ve got drive, resources, and people in your corner.

9. David Murdock

Estimated net worth: $3.4 billion

Known for: Former chairman and CEO of Dole Food Company

So far, we’ve talked about billionaires in tech, entertainment, and broadcasting. Now, let’s move on to the food industry. David Murdock, the former CEO of Dole Food Company and real estate firm Castle & Cooke, is a great example of someone who became successful without a traditional education. 

He dropped out of high school during his freshman year and later served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, Murdock dabbled in various business ventures, many of which were tied to food and real estate.

But he’s most known for his leadership at Dole, a brand you’ve probably seen in grocery aisles on everything from fresh fruit to salads and packaged meals. Now 101 years old, Murdock is still known for his business achievements and ambitious goal of living to 125.

10. Amancio Ortega

Estimated net worth: $92.1 billion

Known for: Founder of Zara clothing brand

Last on our list is the richest person in Spain: Amancio Ortega. He’s the founding chairman of the Inditex fashion group and is best known for launching the international fast-fashion brand Zara.

Ortega grew up in poverty in a small town, where his father worked as a railway employee. He dropped out of school at 14 to support his family and eventually found work with a local shirtmaker. It was there that he learned how to make clothes by hand.

In 1975, he opened his first retail shop with his wife, Rosalia. He originally wanted to call it Zorba, but since the name had already been taken, he settled on Zara. That single store eventually became the cornerstone of Inditex, now one of the largest fashion retailers in the world.

And thanks to Inditex, Ortega is now the second richest person in Europe, second only to Louis Vuitton’s Bernard Arnault.

What Percent of Billionaires Went to College?

When you hear names like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates, it’s easy to think that billionaire college dropouts are a once-in-a-generation thing. But believe it or not, there are actually quite a few billionaires who never finished college.

In the Forbes 400, which ranks the 400 richest people in the U.S., 12% or 44 people were college dropouts. Another study in 2017 showed that 16% of billionaires in the world didn’t have a bachelor’s degree. 

So yes, you can be successful without going to college, like Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison. They took big risks, followed their ideas, and worked hard.

Still, you should probably get a degree

However, keep in mind that these dropout successes are actually the vast exception to the rule. While some well-known entrepreneurs and billionaires dropped out of college, most actually earned degrees. In fact, many pursued even higher education beyond college.

An analysis of the world’s wealthiest people shows that billionaires are more likely to have gone to university than the average person. They’re also more likely to have a postgraduate degree than no degree at all.

Over the past 20 years, Forbes’ top 100 billionaire lists show that 76% of these billionaires have a degree. Of these, 47% have a bachelor’s degree, 23% have a master’s degree, and 6% have a doctorate.

Some universities also produce more billionaires than others. Harvard, for example, is by far the top choice, handing out twice as many degrees to billionaires as Stanford, the second runner-up.

Ultimately, we’ll probably hear more stories about people who dropped out of college and became incredibly successful, and they’ll definitely catch our interest. But these stories are more of an exception than the norm. Most college dropouts don’t end up being super successful, and most successful people actually finish college.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do you need a degree to become a billionaire?

No, you don’t need a degree to become a billionaire. Some people, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, became successful without finishing college. However, most billionaires do have degrees.

2. Who are some successful people without degrees?

Some successful people without degrees include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, who all made their wealth in technology. However, money isn’t the only measure of success. Other successful individuals have excelled in fields unrelated to wealth, such as Harry Truman, the most recent U.S. president without a college degree.

3. Is dropping out of college a good idea?

No, dropping out of college isn’t usually a good idea. The stories of successful dropouts are rare exceptions. Most people who drop out don’t become billionaires, and many successful people finish their education to get good jobs.

Takeaways

• Some billionaires who didn’t go to college include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, who are all from the tech industry.
• Keep in mind that billionaire college dropouts are rare, and most billionaires are still more likely to have a degree than the average person.
• Harvard has produced more U.S. billionaires than any other school, with Stanford in second place.
• Having a college degree is still a great path to success in most careers.
• Consider working with a college admissions consultant who can help you with your college application and improve your chances of getting into your dream school.