When I was in high school in the ’90s, college was considered the only path to success. My parents, who both attended community college—Dad a postal worker and Mom a secretary turned preschool aide—believed a four-year degree would guarantee my brother and me better lives. They worked tirelessly, even running a lawn business on the side, to make that dream possible.
I did what was expected: earned a bachelor’s in English and built a career as a writer and editor while raising four kids. My brother, however, dropped out of college and started at the bottom as an insurance underwriter. Today, he’s earning six figures and living comfortably—without a degree.
So, why the obsession with advanced degrees as the only route to success? If you’re willing to work hard, there are countless ways to build a fulfilling, prosperous life.
Don’t just take my word for it—here are 51 famous successful people without college degrees who prove that a lack of formal education doesn’t need to hold you back if you pursue independent learning.
61 Successful People Who Didn’t Go to or Finish College
There are plenty of successful people who didn’t go to college. College is not for everyone, and there are many successful people who prove that. Here is a list of 61 successful people who never went to or finished college.
I have recently reorganized this list successful people who didn’t go to college into a few different categories for better organization. It is catagorized by entrepreneurs/billionaires (more recent), historical figures, writers and modern celebrities.
There are simply too many famous people who didn’t go to college to include every single one. But this list gives you a good sampling.
Entrepreneurs / Billionaires Who Never Went to or Finished School
It has almost become a trope in the age of technology: brilliant kid goes to prestigious college and drops out before they get their degree to pursue their “big idea” in their respective fields.
1. Bill Gates
As the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. He dropped out of Harvard after two years to start Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen.
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook. He started programming when he was just a child and developed Facebook while he was studying at Harvard. Facebook has gone on to start a social media revolution and new career field.
3. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is the co-founder of Apple and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time. He dropped out of Reed College after one semester.
4. Richard Branson
Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, which consists of more than 400 companies. He dropped out of school at the age of 16.
5. Michael Dell
Michael Dell is the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies. He started the company while he was studying at the University of Texas at Austin. He dropped out of school to focus on his business full-time.
6. Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison is the co-founder and CEO of Oracle. He dropped out of the University of California, Berkeley after one semester.
7. Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin is the co-founder of Google. He started the company while he was studying at Stanford University. He dropped out of school to focus on Google full-time.
8. Bill Hewlett
Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard are the co-founders of Hewlett-Packard. They both dropped out of college to start the company.
9. Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey is the co-founder and CEO of Twitter and Square. He dropped out of New York University after two years.
10. Evan Williams
Evan Williams is the co-founder of Twitter and Medium. He dropped out of the University of Nebraska after two years.
11. Paul Allen
Paul Allen is the co-founder of Microsoft. He dropped out of Washington State University after two years to start Microsoft with his friend Bill Gates.
12. Jawed Karim
Jawed Karim is the co-founder of YouTube. He started the company while he was studying at Stanford University. He dropped out of school to focus on YouTube full-time.
13. Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn. He started the company while he was studying at Stanford University. He dropped out of school to focus on LinkedIn full-time.
14. Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes is the co-founder of Facebook. He started the company while he was studying at Harvard University. He dropped out of school to focus on Facebook full-time.
15. Drew Houston
Drew Houston is the founder and CEO of Dropbox. He started the company while he was studying at MIT. He dropped out of school to focus on Dropbox full-time.
16. Tina Brown
Tina Brown is the founder and CEO of Tina Brown Live Media. She dropped out of Oxford University after one year to start her career in journalism.
17. David Karp
David Karp is the founder and CEO of Tumblr. He dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and later took courses at New York City’s Computer School.
18. Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg is the founder, CEO, and owner of Bloomberg LP. He started the company while he was studying at Johns Hopkins University. He dropped out of school to focus on his company full-time.
19. Scott Cook
Scott Cook is the co-founder and CEO of Intuit. He started the company while he was studying at Stanford University. He dropped out of school to focus on Intuit full-time.
20. Pierre Omidyar
Pierre Omidyar is the founder and chairman of eBay. He started the company while he was studying at Tufts University. He dropped out of school to focus on eBay full-time.
21. Ted Turner
Ted Turner was expelled from college for bringing a woman into his dorm room, but that setback didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most successful television executives in history.
After taking over his father’s advertising business, he turned it into a major success. Turner went on to create groundbreaking networks like CNN, TNT, and Cartoon Network, building a fortune worth over $2 billion.
22. John Mackey
John Mackey is one of the founders of Whole Foods Market, and he has served as the company’s CEO. Whole Foods was bought for $13.7 billion by Amazon in 2017. In 1978, Mackey and his business partner borrowed money from friends and family to open a natural foods store in Austin, Texas.
The pair were kicked out of the apartment they shared and actually lived in their store for a while. These days, Whole Foods has over 500 stores scattered across the U.K. and North America.
23. David Murdock
Not only did David Murdock not finish college, but he was also a high school dropout. Murdock only made it to the 9th grade in high school before dropping out and later serving in World War II in the U.S. Army.
Later, Murdock became the CEO of Dole Food Company, and he also ran Castle & Cooke, a real estate company that owns properties in several U.S. states.
24. David Neeleman
David Neeleman is the founder of JetBlue Airways, and his explanation of his college experience is simple. He says he attended the University of Utah, but “I dropped out.”
Even though he was an A student in college, his horizons were broadened when he traveled to Brazil to complete a Mormon missionary trip. He decided to start his own travel company, and the rest is history.
25. Ralph Lauren
The founder of the hugely successful Polo brand dropped out of Baruch College in New York City after attending for just two years. At the time, Lauren decided to join the U.S. Army. Now, Lauren is a notable businessman, and he’s also a philanthropist.
In addition to his Polo brand of clothing, Lauren also created Ralph Lauren fragrances that first launched in March 1978 at Bloomingdale’s.
26. Russell Simmons
As the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Russell Simmons has been instrumental in helping launch careers for hip-hop and rap artists, including The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Run-DMC.
Simmons did attend college, where he pursued a degree in sociology at the City College of New York. However, he didn’t finish his degree and decided to focus on his career in music. In addition to music, Simmons has also ventured into the financial services and clothing business.
27. Daniel Ek
Shopify founder and CEO Tobias Lütke left Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology after just eight weeks to pursue a career in IT.
He went on to help create several tech companies, including the ad platform Advertigo, which he later sold for a substantial profit. Restless in retirement, Lütke channeled his passion into founding Shopify, now one of the world’s leading e-commerce platforms.
28. Kat Cole
As the former president of the parent company that owns Cinnabon and other chains, Kat Cole is a successful businesswoman who dropped out of college to work at Hooters, where she eventually become a vice president when she was in her 20s. Interestingly, although Cole never earned a bachelor’s degree, she did later pursue a graduate degree and earned an MBA.
29. David Geffen
David Geffen, one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry, dropped out of college and began his career in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency.
His drive and business instincts led him to co-found major record labels like Asylum Records and Geffen Records, launching the careers of countless iconic artists. Geffen later became a billionaire through his success in music, film, and theater, proving that vision and determination can outweigh formal education.
Important Historical Figures Who Never Went to College
30. Benjamin Franklin
As one of the most well-known Founding Fathers of the U.S., Benjamin Franklin’s place in history is secure. But he was much more than a Founding Father. A self-taught polymath, Franklin educated himself in science and was widely considered to be one of the most accomplished men of his era.
31. Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was most famous for being president of the United States, but he was also a successful self-taught lawyer. In addition to teaching himself the law profession by reading Blackstone, Lincoln taught himself trigonometry.
One of the most famous men in American history had just one year of formal education.
32. Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie rose from humble beginnings in Scotland to become a leader of the American steel industry and one of the world’s greatest philanthropists. By the 1860s, he had investments in railroads, oil, and bridges, and later found success as a bond salesman. He went on to establish Carnegie Hall and numerous educational trusts and institutions that continue his legacy today.
33. Frank Lloyd Wright
Who knew you could become one of the world’s leading architects without a degree in architecture? The famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright enrolled part-time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but that was where his college career started and ended. Wright has been called the most important architect of the 20th century, and he later designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
34. Walt Disney
Walt Disney left high school at 16 to pursue his passion for drawing and animation. Despite early business failures, his creativity and persistence led success later in life and to the creation of beloved characters like Mickey Mouse and the founding of The Walt Disney Company.
His imagination transformed the entertainment industry, showing how passion and perseverance can build a lasting legacy without a college degree.
Get Inspired By Powerful Walt Disney Quotes
35. Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison, one of history’s greatest inventors, had little formal education and left school early to pursue his passion for experimentation and innovation.
Through relentless curiosity and hard work, he developed life-changing inventions such as the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the electric light bulb. Edison’s success proved that creativity, persistence, and a love of learning can outshine any lack of formal schooling.
Get Inspired By Hard Work Quotes
36. William McKinley
William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, did not complete college but still rose to one of the highest positions in the nation through determination and service.
After briefly attending Allegheny College, he left due to financial hardship and later studied law independently while working as a teacher. McKinley’s dedication and leadership eventually carried him from modest beginnings to the presidency, showing that success can come from perseverance rather than formal education.
37. Henry Ford
Henry Ford left school at 16 to pursue his passion for mechanics and engineering, gaining hands-on experience by working with machines and engines. His curiosity and determination led him to found the Ford Motor Company, where he revolutionized manufacturing with the moving assembly line. Ford’s innovations made automobiles affordable for everyday people, proving that vision and learning new skills can drive success without a college degree.
38. John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller left high school after two years to take a business course and begin working as a clerk, where he developed a passion for finance and entrepreneurship.
His sharp business sense led him to co-found the Standard Oil Company, which became one of the most powerful and profitable corporations in history. Through hard work and strategic vision, Rockefeller built immense wealth and later became one of America’s greatest philanthropists—all without a college degree.
39. Harry Truman
It’s surprising that so many U.S. presidents never finished a college degree, but this was at a time when education wasn’t as attainable as it is today. Harry S. Truman went just one semester at a college in Kansas City, Missouri, but the aspiring entrepreneur also took some business school classes and night classes at the Kansas City Law School. However, he didn’t earn a degree.
Famous Writer’s Who Never Went to College
It is easy to assume famous writers must have learned their crafts at prestigious colleges. But this is not always true. Quite a few of these famous writers never graduated from college.
40. Mark Twain
Twain left school after the fifth grade to work and help support his family, but his love of reading and storytelling never faded. He went on to become one of America’s most celebrated authors, known for classics like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain’s wit, curiosity, and life experience shaped his writing far more than any formal education could have.
41. Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury never attended college, instead educating himself by spending countless hours reading in public libraries. His boundless imagination led him to write timeless works such as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles.
Bradbury often credited his success to passion, persistence, and a lifelong love of learning rather than a traditional degree.
42. Jack London
London left school at a young age to work various tough jobs, from factory laborer to sailor, before turning to writing. His adventurous life experiences inspired powerful stories like The Call of the Wild and White Fang.
Despite his limited formal education, London became one of the most successful and widely read authors of his time. His writing was a direct reflection of the adventurous life he lived, if he had lived in academic halls he would have had nothing to write about.
43. Charles Dickens
Born into a poor family, Dickens had little formal education and began working in a factory as a child to help support his family. Those early hardships deeply influenced his writing, inspiring vivid stories about social injustice and the struggles of the working class.
Through talent, empathy, and determination, Charles Dickens became one of the most beloved and influential authors in English literature.
44. Richard Wright
The renowned author of novels such as “Black Boy” and “Native Son” actually never finished college. He went to college in 1918 but his mother’s health forced him to leave and get a job to help support the family.
45. Maya Angelou
The author, poet, and civil rights activist didn’t go to college, but she did attend San Francisco’s Labor School where she briefly left to become the first black female streetcar conductor in the city. Her writing continues to inspire people around the world.
Famous Celebrities that Never Went To College
Going to school can perhaps help you perfect your craft if you are an actor or singer in the entertainment industry or a sport’s figure, but it may be far better to go to the school of experience from a young age rather than a traditional college.
No one asks for your college degree before they hand out Academy Award’s or Grammy’s or championship rings.
To be honest, the list of actors and musicians who never went to college is likely much larger. But here is a sample of some of these more famous examples.
46. Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise didn’t go to college. He dropped out of high school at the age of 18 to pursue his acting career. He never took any acting classes and landed his first role within six months of moving to New York City.
He now produces his own movies, and at 63 is one of the the most bankable leading men in Hollywood.
47. Simon Cowell
You probably know Simon Cowell because of his long appearance as the grumpy judge on the hit TV show “American Idol,” “America’s Got Talent,” and “The X Factor.” However, Cowell’s career goes much deeper than that.
Cowell first made it big in the music industry after dropping out of school when he was just 16 years old. This experience led him to become an industry talent consultant, and he helped develop innovative formats for talent and singing competitions.
48. Lady Gaga
Many people assume that because she’s a classically trained musician, Lady Gaga has a degree in music. Although she did attend Tisch Drama at New York University, she never finished her degree.
Lady Gaga went on to sell more than 170 million records and achieve worldwide fame, and she has earned numerous awards (two Golden Globe Awards, 13 Grammy Awards, and 18 MTV Video Music Awards). She has also ventured into the cosmetics industry and founded a non-profit organization.
49. Rihanna
Growing up in Barbados, she left high school to pursue her passion for music after being discovered by a record producer. Her talent and drive quickly propelled her to international stardom with chart-topping hits and numerous awards.
Beyond music, Rihanna built a billion-dollar empire with her Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty brands, proving that success comes from vision and hard work, not just formal education.
50. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul, philanthropist, and one of the most successful women in the world. She dropped out of college after one semester to pursue a career in broadcasting.
She later went back to finish her degree long after becoming a media mogul.
51. Rachel Ray
The popular food personality didn’t go to college and has no formal culinary training, but people love her approachable style and down-to-earth personality.
52. Tina Turner
A lack of a college education did not stop Tina Turner from becoming one of the biggest names in music. Her talent and hard work as a singer and performer earned her the title “Queen of Rock n Roll”.
53. Jay-Z
The rapper didn’t go to college, but he did attend George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School. He is now a billionaire
54. Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods, one of the most famous people in golf history, left Stanford during his sophomore year to pursue a professional golf career—a decision he later said he somewhat regrets.
Since turning pro in 1996, he’s won 18 World Golf Championships and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Woods has also been named PGA Player of the Year an impressive 11 times.
55. Katy Perry
She left high school at 15 to pursue her dream of becoming a singer, determined to make it in the music industry. After years of setbacks and rejections, her persistence paid off with the release of One of the Boys and later Teenage Dream, which made her a global pop superstar.
56. Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian first rose to fame through her family’s reality TV show but soon built a business empire with brands like Skims, KKW Beauty, and her own fragrance line.
Though she attended Pierce College, she ultimately dropped out. Today, she’s pursuing a law career through self-study—proving success doesn’t always require a college degree
57. Jennifer Lawrence
Leaving school at 14 to pursue acting, she quickly caught Hollywood’s attention with her breakout role in Winter’s Bone, earning her first Oscar nomination.
She went on to star in blockbuster franchises like The Hunger Games and critically acclaimed films such as Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. By her early twenties, Jennifer Lawrence had become one of the youngest Academy Award winners in history.
58. Kobe Bryant
Skipping college altogether, Kobe Bryant entered the NBA straight from high school at just 17 years old. Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, he went on to win five NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals.
Kobe Bryant’s career left an enduring legacy in basketball, marked by his relentless work ethic and record-breaking achievements.
59. Madonna
She left the University of Michigan after just one semester to chase her dream of performing in New York City. Starting out as a dancer and singer in small clubs, she soon rose to global fame with hits like Like a Virgin, Vogue, and Material Girl.
Over the decades, Madonna has reinvented herself countless times, becoming one of the most successful and influential artists in pop music history.
60. Bruce Willis
Bruce studied at my Alma mater: Montclair State University for a short time before dropped out to pursue his acting career.
After years of struggle he landed his big break in the TV series Moonlighting, which launched him into stardom. Bruce Willis went on to become one of Hollywood’s top action stars, best known for his iconic role in the Die Hard film series.
61. Ellen DeGeneres
One of the queens of daytime television couldn’t hack it for more than a semester at the University of New Orleans. Ellen DeGeneres said that school just wasn’t interesting to her.
DeGeneres later went on to pursue a career in TV sitcoms, stand-up comedy, movies, and talk shows.
Final Thoughts on Successful People Who Didn’t Go To or Finish College
Whether you have just graduated from high school and are feeling uncertain about your next steps, or you’ve done the college thing and want something different from life, remember that there are many options and paths available to you. College is not the only route to a success.
You can also achieve great things through self-education, hard work, and dedication. If you are looking for some encouragement as an entrepreneur, check out our article on the 21 Best Business Podcasts for Entrepreneurs.
Related Posts to Help You Achieve Success:
Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals.
