22 Celebrities Who Hold Prestigious College Degrees

"What, like it's hard?"

1. Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard with a psychology degree in 2003.

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Her work has been published by scientific journals twice.

2. Yara Shahidi began studying interdisciplinary sociology and African American studies at Harvard in 2018.

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Her application included a letter of recommendation from former first lady Michelle Obama.

3. Emma Watson graduated from Brown University with a degree in English literature in 2014.

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She previously studied at Oxford University.

4. Eva Longoria earned her master's degree in Chicano studies from California State University in 2013.

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She was still working on Desperate Housewives when she started taking classes with Dr. Rodolfo Acuña, whose book Occupied America "changed [her] life."

5. John Legend earned his bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis on African American literature from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.

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He was only 16 when he started his freshman year.

6. Lionel Richie earned an economics degree from Tuskegee University in 1974.

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During his freshman year, his musical group the Commodores won the annual freshmen talent competition.

7. Lupita Nyong’o earned her bachelor's in film and African studies from Hampshire College in 2007 before graduating from the Yale School of Drama with a master's in acting in 2012.

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In My Genes, her senior thesis film, was featured at the 2010 New York African Film Festival.

8. Cole Sprouse earned a degree in archeology from New York University in 2015.

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He attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, which enables students to design their own majors.

9. Ken Jeong was pre-med at Duke University before completing his medical degree at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995.

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He pursued comedy and even won the Big Easy Laff-Off while completing his residency in internal medicine at Oshsner Medical Center in New Orleans.

10. Meghan Markle graduated from Northwestern University in 2003 with a bachelor's in theater and international studies.

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As an undergrad, she also interned at the US embassy in Buenos Aires.

11. Mayim Bialik earned her doctorate in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007.

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Her degree is similar to the one her Big Bang Theory character Amy Farrah Fowler — a neurobiologist — holds.

12. Taraji P. Henson earned a drama degree from Howard University in Washington, DC in 1995.

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She worked her way through school as a Pentagon secretary and a cruise ship performer.

13. Adam Sandler graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988 with a bachelor's in acting.

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One of his acting professors took him out for a beer and kindly suggested he "choose another path." When they ran into each other years later, the successful actor introduced the professor to his friends as "the only teacher to ever buy me a beer."

14. 2 Chainz earned a bachelor's in psychology from Alabama University and played on the school's basketball team from 1995 to 1997.

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He attended on a basketball scholarship.

15. Wanda Sykes graduated from Hampton University with a marketing degree in 1986.

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For a few years after graduation, she worked as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency.

16. Spike Lee graduated with a bachelor's in mass communications from Morehouse College in 1979, then he earned an MFA in film production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

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He's now a professor in NYU's graduate film program.

17. Bradley Cooper graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor's in English in 1997.

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He also earned a master's degree from the Actors Studio Drama School in NYC.

18. Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford in 1971 with a bachelor's in literature, then she pursued a master's in acting at Yale.

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She was classmates with actor Meryl Streep and playwright Christopher Durang.

19. Meryl Streep graduated from Vassar College in 1971 with her bachelor's in drama and costume design, then she earned her MFA in drama from Yale.

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Michael Schulman, author of the biography Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, said that the actor "was uncomfortable being put on a pedestal" at Yale.

20. Bridgit Mendler is pursuing her PhD from the MIT Media Lab.

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She also studied at Harvard Law.

21. Jamie Foxx earned a degree in classical music and composition from United States International University in 1988.

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As a student, he also performed at comedy clubs.

22. And Shaquille O'Neal earned a doctorate in education from Barry University in 2012.

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He pursued his degree because he promised his parents he would follow his passion for education. His thesis focused on "the value of humor in leadership."