The 35 colleges that produced the most US presidents
· Business Insider
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- Some US colleges have alumni who have achieved the highest office in the country.
- The Ivy League, the US Military Academy, and some liberal arts colleges have shaped US presidents.
- Harvard leads the ranking, with five former presidents among its alumni.
Some US colleges stand out for being highly selective schools, for producing high-earning graduates, or for having surprising sticker prices.
But some have bragging rights to a different metric: multiple former US presidents among their alumni.
The oldest school in the country leads the pack in producing the most commanders-in-chief: Harvard University has taught five US presidents at the undergraduate level.
A number of other schools also helped shape the minds of the 45 men who've served as president, including Ivy League institutions, small Christian colleges, and state research universities.
However, presidents didn't necessarily graduate from all of the schools on this list. Some future leaders, including William McKinley, John F. Kennedy, and Jimmy Carter, bounced between institutions due to financial reasons, health difficulties, or changing preferences.
But US presidents did study at an undergraduate level at all of these colleges. Many also went on to attend law school and pursue graduate studies, although this list does not include those institutions.
Other presidents, including George Washington, never attended college at all.
Here's a look at which colleges' undergraduate programs have produced the most US presidents.
Fordham University: One presidentwdstock/Getty Images
President: Donald Trump
Donald Trump attended this Bronx-based Jesuit school before transferring to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
According to "The Trumps: Three Generations of Builders and a Presidential Candidate," the president's sister, Maryanne, said that Trump chose to attend the college because "that's where he got in."
University of Delaware: One presidentJoe Biden is the only US president to attend the University of Delaware.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
President: Joe Biden
During his college years at the University of Delaware in Newark, Joe Biden "was more interested in football, girls and late-night gab sessions than in his studies," The New York Times wrote in a 2008 profile.
Biden's school transcript showed that he earned mostly C's and D's during his first three semesters. Biden quit the football team after receiving a warning from his parents to focus on his grades and after meeting Neilia Hunter, who would become his first wife, The Daily Pennsylvanian student newspaper reported.
Occidental College: One presidentJim Brown/Getty Images
President: Barack Obama
Before attending Columbia University, Barack Obama studied for two years at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Columbia University: One presidentpeterspiro/Getty Images/iStockphoto
President: Barack Obama
Obama transferred to Columbia University as a junior. There, he studied political science with a specialty in international relations, as well as English literature.
Georgetown University: One presidentchemistkane/Getty Images/iStockphoto
President: Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton received scholarships to attend Georgetown University, where he was class president in 1964 and 1965.
Eureka College: One presidentDirck Halstead/Getty Images
President: Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan attended this non-profit Christian college, which was originally founded by abolitionists in 1855.
Georgia Southwestern State University: One presidentJohn Bazemore / POOL / AFP
President: Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter bounced around before transferring to the US Naval Academy. He began his undergraduate journey at Georgia Southwestern College before transferring to the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Georgia Institute of Technology: One presidentAneese/Getty Images
President: Jimmy Carter
After leaving Georgia Southwestern State University, Carter attended this public research university before transferring to the US Naval Academy.
United States Naval Academy: One presidentSeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto
President: Jimmy Carter
As a young man, Carter had always dreamed of attending the US Naval Academy. He achieved that goal in 1943.
University of Michigan: One presidentDirck Halstead/Getty Images
President: Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford attended the University of Michigan, where he was a star player on the Wolverines football team.
Whittier College: One presidentphotojohn830/Shutterstock
President: Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon attended Whittier College. He had received a grant to attend Harvard, but he remained in his hometown of Whittier, California, in order to help his parents care for his tuberculosis-stricken older brother and run the family grocery store.
Texas State University: One presidentBackyardProduction/Getty Images
President: Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson enrolled at the Southwest Texas State Normal School, now known as Texas State University. There, he became editor of the student newspaper and honed his debate skills.
London School of Economics: One presidentformerly Her Majesty's Land Registry Building
President: John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy briefly studied at the London School of Economics before being forced to return to the US due to health reasons.
Stanford University: One presidentCravenA/Shutterstock
President: Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover entered Stanford University in 1891, the first year the school admitted any students. He later claimed to be the university's first student by sneaking into its unfinished dormitories and sleeping there before anyone else.
Amherst College: One presidentBoston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images
President: Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge sharpened his debating skills at Amherst College, from which he graduated in 1895.
Ohio Central College: One presidentNicholas Klein/Getty Images
President: Warren Harding
Warren Harding attended Ohio Central College, where he founded a student newspaper: The Iberia Spectator.
The college, founded by the Free Presbyterian Church, ceased operations by the end of the 19th century.
Davidson College: One presidentmarlin goodwin/Shutterstock
President: Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson's time at Davidson came to an end in 1874 after he became sick. He later moved on to study at Princeton.
Allegheny College: One presidentJacob Boomsma/Shutterstock
President: William McKinley
William McKinley attended this Pennsylvania liberal arts school before withdrawing. During his time at the school, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
University of Mount Union: One presidentMohammadMKS/Shutterstock
President: William McKinley
McKinley briefly studied at the University of Mount Union — then known as Mount Union College — but was forced to withdraw for financial reasons.
Miami University: One presidentA.OrthLee/Shutterstock
President: Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison graduated from Miami University in 1852. There, he was involved with Phi Delta Theta.
Union College: Chester A. ArthurKatie Dobies/Getty Images/iStockphoto
President: Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur was president of the debate club at Union College, a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York.
Hiram College: One presidentSean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
President: James Garfield
James Garfield attended Hiram College back when it was called the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, where he worked as a janitor and an instructor and wooed his wife, Lucretia.
Williams College: One presidentAlizadaStudios/Getty Images
President: James Garfield
Garfield later graduated from Williams College in 1856 and served as his class's salutatorian.
Kenyon College: One presidentsnoopysnoopysnoopy/Shutterstock
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes didn't just attend Kenyon College — he graduated as the valedictorian of the class of 1824.
Dickinson College: One presidentSpringfrom/Getty Images
President: James Buchanan
James Buchanan, who began attending Dickinson College in 1807, was expelled from the school in 1808 for bad behavior. He later graduated from the school, although he kept no strong ties to his alma mater, per the school's archives.
Bowdoin College: One presidentAndrew Dale/Shutterstock
President: Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce attended the Maine school, where he was ranked last in his class after two years.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: One presidentChad Robertson Media/Shutterstock
President: James K. Polk
James K. Polk matriculated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1816. There, he roomed with William Dunn Moseley, the first US governor of Florida.
Hampden-Sydney College: One presidentUltima_Gaina/Getty Images/iStockphoto
President: William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison attended Hampden-Sydney when he was just 14. He studied there for three years but eventually left the school on orders from his father.
Leiden University: One presidentpmvfoto/Shutterstock
President: John Quincy Adams
Leiden University may be the oldest university in the Netherlands, but it also had an impact on US history as well. John Quincy Adams attended the storied school while accompanying his father on a diplomatic mission to France.
University of Pennsylvania: Two presidentsf11photo/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Presidents: William Henry Harrison and Donald Trump
Harrison had quite an opportunity on his hands at the University of Pennsylvania, which he began attending in 1790.
He studied medicine under Dr. Benjamin Rush, a famed physician and Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence.
However, Harrison realized shortly after that he didn't want to be a physician. He told his biographer that he found himself "not liking the medical profession," so, after his father died and left his family in financial straits, he pursued a military career.
The first actual University of Pennsylvania graduate to ascend to the White House is Trump, who transferred from Fordham University to the Wharton School. While in college, Trump worked for his father's business.
In speeches, Trump often uses his Wharton pedigree as evidence that he is "a very smart person."
"Good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart," he told a South Carolina crowd in July 2015.
United States Military Academy (West Point): Two presidentsDepthofField/Getty Images
Presidents: Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower
Ulysses S. Grant didn't just get a military education from West Point; he got a new name there. The future president was born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but his sponsor, Rep. Thomas Hamer, accidentally wrote down the wrong name.
So the new cadet became known as "Sam" around campus because his new "US" initials also stood for "Uncle Sam." At the Academy, Grant developed a reputation as a phenomenal horseman.
Dwight Eisenhower entered West Point in 1911, where he played football and was a member of the class of 1915. This group of West Point alumni would become known as "the class the stars fell on," given that 59 of its members became general officers.
The College of William & Mary: Three presidentsdasilva_lining/Shutterstock
Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler
The College of William & Mary produced three presidents, although the last one graduated in 1807.
Thomas Jefferson enrolled at the school when he was 16. He wasn't a fan of Williamsburg, Virginia, however, which he labeled as "Devilsburg."
James Monroe studied at the college, but was more focused on revolutionary activities than attending class. In 1776, he dropped out after a year and a half in order to fight in the American Revolution.
John Tyler was the final president to attend the school. He was following in the footsteps of his father, who knew Jefferson in college.
Princeton University: Three presidentsOleg Kovtun/Getty Images
Presidents: James Madison, Woodrow Wilson, and John F. Kennedy
Three presidents attended Princeton University, which was originally known as the College of New Jersey. One transferred to a different Ivy League school, while another went on to become president of the college.
According to the book "James Madison: Philosopher, Founder, and Statesman," Madison may have nearly had an emotional breakdown as a student due to the intensity of his studies.
Meanwhile, Woodrow Wilson studied at Princeton and was active in a number of debate societies. Wilson eventually returned to Princeton as an academic in 1890 and became president of the school in 1902.
John F. Kennedy only studied at Princeton briefly before transferring to Harvard.
Yale University: Three presidentsf11photo/Getty Images
Presidents: William Howard Taft, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.
William Howard Taft was a big man on campus at Yale College and graduated second in his class.
The only two other Yale alumni to ascend to the White House were the father-and-son-duo of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
All three presidents were members of the Skull and Bones secret society.
Harvard University: Five presidentsmiroslav_1/Getty Images
Presidents: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy
Harvard University has produced the most presidents in US history.
John Adams, the first college-educated US president, attended the school. After returning from his travels in Europe, Adams' son John Quincy Adams also returned to his father's alma mater.
Continuing the familial tradition, both Roosevelts attended Harvard.
In addition to committing himself to his studies, Theodore Roosevelt also boxed and rowed. Meanwhile, Franklin D. Roosevelt was editor of The Harvard Crimson and joined the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
The last Harvard alum to become president was Kennedy.
In his application, he noted that his father also attended the school and wrote, "To be a 'Harvard man' is an enviable distinction and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain."
Editor's note: This story was first published in June 2018 and most recently updated in June 2026. Áine Cain contributed to an earlier version of this report.
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