The educational paths of the world's richest billionaires vary, with some completing degrees while others dropped out to pursue their entrepreneurial visions.
Many of the world’s richest people have diverse educational backgrounds, proving that success doesn’t follow a single path. While some billionaires famously dropped out of college to pursue their dreams, others completed their studies and went on to build their empires. Here’s a look at the educational journeys of some of the most influential billionaires.
1. Bernard Arnault
)
Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of LVMH, recently became the richest person in the world with a net worth of $221 billion (approximately Rs 18 lakh crore). Arnault holds an engineering degree from École Polytechnique, one of France's top engineering schools. His education provided him with the foundation to lead a global luxury goods empire.
2. Elon Musk
)
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and the second-richest person globally, has a net worth of $1.98 billion (approximately Rs 16 lakh crore). Musk started his higher education at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in physics and economics. Although he was accepted into a Ph.D. program at Stanford University, he left after just two days to seize opportunities in the burgeoning internet industry.
3. Jeff Bezos
)
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, began his journey at Princeton University, where he initially studied physics before switching to electrical engineering and computer science. With a net worth of $193.9 billion (approximately Rs 16 lakh crore), Bezos has built one of the world's largest companies. In recognition of his achievements, he received an honorary doctorate in science and technology from Carnegie Mellon University in 2008.
4. Mark Zuckerberg
)
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of META, was a student at Harvard University when he conceived Facebook. Initially a psychology and computer science major, Zuckerberg dropped out in 2005 to focus on the social network’s rapid growth. Today, Facebook (now META) is one of the most influential tech companies in the world.
5. Larry Ellison
)
Larry Ellison, co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle, has a net worth of $143.8 billion (approximately Rs 11 lakh crore). Ellison's educational journey included time at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was named 'science student of the year.' However, he left before completing his finals and later attended the University of Chicago, where he studied physics, mathematics, and computer design.
6. Warren Buffett
)
Warren Buffett, one of the world's wealthiest individuals, had a unique educational path. After being rejected by Harvard Business School, Buffett studied at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania before transferring to the University of Nebraska, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He later earned a master’s degree in economics from Columbia Business School, where he studied under Benjamin Graham, the ‘father of the stock market.’
7. Bill Gates
)
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, often regarded as the world’s most famous college dropout, began his education at Harvard University. He enrolled in 1973 to study mathematics and computer science but left after two years to co-found Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Despite not completing his degree, Gates went on to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history.
