From Kourtney Kardashian to Lupita Nyong'o: All the celebrities that went to University and their (often surprising) degrees
Securing a university degree may not be a prerequisite for a star-studded career in Hollywood, but it doesn't mean that a plethora of A-listers didn't choose to commit to higher education and bag themselves a degree.
From Kourtney Kardashian, who graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Spanish, and Emma Watson, who received a bachelor's degree in English literature from Brown, to James Franco, who studied at more universities than we knew possible, we take a look at the bright sparks that make up our current celebrity circuit and how they're higher education has, or has not, come in handy.
There's no denying some of their degrees set them up for fames and riches. Take Jessica Chastain, who studied at Julliard on a scholarship funded by Robin Williams. Fast forward several decades and Jessica is one of Hollywood's leading actresses and producers, most recently starring in the acclaimed Molly's Game. Then there's Lupita Nyong'o whose masters at Yale School of Drama led to her breakthrough role in 12 Years A Slave immediately after graduating.
Others went on to pursue careers that were totally unrelated to their current professions. Hows that History degree coming in handy, Sacha Baron Cohen? And your Religion degree, Christy Turlington? What about those years spent at NYU studying archaeology, Cole Sprouse?
If that's not shocked you, did you know Chris Pine spent a year at Leeds University from 2000-2001 as part of his English degree at University of California, Berkeley. That's right, your parents could have been part of the lucky alumni who studied alongside one of Hollywood's hottest men.
From acting to anthropology, we introduce the world's most famous alumni to inspire your future studies
(P.S. We'll bet they didn't have any trouble paying off those tuition fees. Just saying).
Getty ImagesChris Pine
University: University of California, Berkeley
Course: English Literature
As part of his English degree, Chris Pine spent 2000-2001 as an exchange student at Leeds University here in the UK. Now one of Hollywood's most celebrated individuals, he's certainly come along way from his days up North.
Getty ImagesJessica Chastain
University: Julliard
Course: Drama
Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain went to Julliard on a scholarship funded by actor and comedian Robin Williams
Getty ImagesUniversity: East Carolina University
Course: Acting
Sandra's early days studying at East Carolina's theatre production school clearly set up for enormous success to come with leading roles in Miss Congeniality, The Proposal and Bird Box.
Getty ImagesEmeli Sande
University: University of Glasgow
Course: Neuroscience
Who would have thought? Despite receiving an impressive degree in neuroscience, the best-selling singer-songwriter went on to pursue her passion for music.
Getty ImagesLupita Nyong'o
University: Yale
Course: Drama
Lupita's time at Yale's School of Drama directly led to her breakthrough role in 12 Years A Slave.
Getty ImagesKerry Washington
University: Georgetown
Course: Psychology, anthropology, and sociology
Little Fires Everywhere's Kerry Washington is a woman of many talents. Not only is she a phenomenal and acclaimed actress, but she's also a psychology, anthropology, and sociology aficionado. We bow down to you, Kerry.
FlynetEmma Watson
University: Brown University, Rhode Island
Course: English Literature
In 2009, Emma started her university course at the American-based uni, after finishing filming for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Emma took five years to complete her course instead of four because she took two whole semesters off due to her acting, finally graduating in 2014.
Getty ImagesJ K Rowling
University: Exeter
Course: French with Greek and German
It's no wonder J. K Rowling has such a way with language - considering she wrote the crazily popular Harry Potter series - having studied THREE of them at uni.
Rex FeaturesTom Hiddleston
University: University of Cambridge
Course: Classics
No wonder Tay Tay fancied a bit of Tom Hiddleston... he's a clever guy! The actor studied at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge where he left with a double first in Classics. Woah.
Getty ImagesHugh Grant
University: University of Oxford
Course: English Literature
Hugh Grant's uni days at the University of Oxford were where his acting career really excelled. His first film, Privilidge was funded and produced by the Oxford University Film Foundation, and his performance recieved glowing reviews.
Getty ImagesRachel McAdams
University: York University
Course: Theatre
Rachel McAdams showed a flair for theatre growing up, but never really pursued it. She intended to take Cultural Studies at the University of Western Ontario before her drama teacher persuaded her that a professional acting career was possible. We bet she's thanking that teacher now.
Getty ImagesGerard Butler
University: Law
Course: University of Glasgow
Gerard Butler is not only handsome but intelligent, too. When he got good grades at school he was offered a place to study law at Glasgow University. During his time as a student, he became President of the university law society (a role he said he "kind of blagged my way into"). So where did the acting come in? After uni - and securing a job at a law firm - Gerard decided his dream was to become famous, so he started out auditioning for roles.
Rex FeaturesKate Middleton
University: University of St Andrews
Course: History of Art
The Duchess of Cambridge studied History of Art at the University of St Andrews in Scotland where she was a resident at St Salvator's Hall university housing...
Rex FeaturesPrince William
... And that's where she met (her now husband) Prince William who studied Geography. He then went on to earn a Scottish Master of Arts degree.
Rex FeaturesChristy Turlington
University: New York University
Course: Religion and Eastern Philosophy
Who knew supermodel Christy Turlington was such a clever clogs? Although she started modelling much earlier on when she was 14, the model made it her goal to complete a degree. And she did that, and some. After she earned a BA at the New York University, Christy went and got a master’s in Public Health from Columbia University.
Getty ImagesMeryl Streep
University: Vassar College
Course: Drama
She's now a multi Golden Globe award-winner, but once upon a time Meryl Streep was just a student like you and I. After achieving her Drama degree, Meryl headed off to Yale where she earned her Master of Fine Arts. We bet Meryl's former teacher is feeling pretty smug right about now.
Getty ImagesNatalie Portman
University: Harvard University
Course: Psychology
In 1999, Natalie Portman studied for her Psychology degree and achieved her bachelors in 2003. We wonder if her degree helped her with her more brooding roles like in Black Swan? At the time of studying, Natalie was still acting on the side. She famously said “I don’t care if [college] ruins my career. I’d rather be smart than a movie star,” when asked about her decision to go to college. It certainly didn't ruin anything...
Getty ImagesAmy Poehler
University: Boston College, Massachusetts
Course: Media and Communications
Funny woman Amy Poehler's comedy career began in 1993 when she joined her uni's comedy club. 'My Mother’s Fleabag' was one of America's oldest comedy troupes and the experience set her up for all the LOLs to come.
Getty ImagesUniversity: The New School in New York
Course: Music and Sports
Before Jonah Hill studied Music and Sports at The New School, he got kicked out of another uni. The Wolf of Wall Street actor once said: "I went to the University of Colorado for a semester and got kicked out because I never went to class."
Rex FeaturesEva Longoria
University: Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Course: Kinesiology
Eva Longoria performed the role of the glamorous Gabrielle Solis in hit drama Desperate Housewives, so we were baffled when we found out that she studied Kinesiology, the study of movements in the body, for her degree! The Latino actress then went on to study her culture at California State Northridge, and earnt a masters in Chicano studies. Go, Eva!
Getty ImagesJames Franco
University: University of California, Los Angeles
Course: English
We fancy James Franco about ten times more after hearing about how damn clever he is. After completing a bachelor's in English at UCLA, James achieved a masters in Fine Arts at Columbia. AFTER THAT, he worked towards his doctorate in English from Yale University.
We're not done. James has also taken a fiction writing course at Brooklyn College, a film-making course at New York University and a poety course at North Carolina.
As if he had ANY time to spare, the Pineapple Express actor has also taught classes at USC, UCLA, CalArts and NYU. Be our teacher, James.
Getty ImagesJohn Legend
University: University of Pennsylvania
Course: English with African American literature
When John Legend was his high school
salutatorian (that's the second highest achieving student in his class), he had the pick of scholarships to Ivy League universities from Harvard to Cornell. He decided on Pennsylvania in the end. You've got yourself a clever one, Chrissy.
Rex FeaturesKourtney Kardashian
University: University of Arizona
Course: Theatre Arts and Spanish
Kourtney is definitely the intelligent Kardashian family member. The oldest sis scored herself a bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts after she moved to Arizona after attending the Southern Methodist University for two years. We wonder if she uses her theatre skills in scenes from KUWTK? Hmmm...
Rex FeaturesOprah Winfrey
University: Tennessee State University
Course: Communication
The TV host grew up in an abusive, poverty-stricken household but her hardships turned around when she began studying at school. Finding a flair for academics, Oprah was granted a scholarship to attend Tennessee State University, studying Communication. And the rest is history...
Rex FeaturesUniversity: University of Cambridge
Course: History
Sacha Baron Cohen studied History at uni before going on to create the iconic Ali G. We bet he was fun to have in class.
Rex FeaturesUniversity: University of Virginia
Course: Drama
In 1992, Tina Fey earned her bachelor's degree in Drama, in which she studied playwriting and acting. We knew there was some profesh training behind those skillz.
Rex FeaturesMadonna
University: University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
Course: Dance
We knew the queen of pop must have had a dance background... Have you seen her moves?
Getty ImagesMaggie Gyllenhaal
University: Columbia University
Course: Literature and Eastern Religions
We're seeing a bit of a theme here. Actors and actresses seem to love the study of words, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is no different. After her studies at Columbia, Maggie also studied at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Getty ImagesJennifer Garner
University: Denison University, Ohio
Course: Drama
Jen Garner's uni course set up for her acting career brilliantly, earning a role in Alias soon after. During her time at Denison, Jennifer was initiated into the sorority Pi Beta Phi.
Rex FeaturesUniversity: University of Southern California
Course: Sports Information
Will Ferrell's Sports Information degree must have certainly inspired some of his earlier sports comedies like Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Semi-Pro.
