Best Colleges Where the Youngest Billionaires Studied
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Only about 2,700 people in the entire world have reached billionaire status. Of these, the youngest group is millennials — though Gen Z could very soon have their own 10-figure-making representative in this highly exclusive club.
Millennial billionaires differ from their older counterparts in important ways. They are more likely to have made their fortune in tech and less likely to be married. This is also the generation with the lowest percentage of advanced degrees. But don’t take this to mean most of these absurdly wealthy individuals didn’t study. Zuckerberg is the exception, not the rule.
These are the universities with the most millennial billionaire alumni.
1. Stanford University
Location: Stanford, California
No. of millennial billionaire alumni: 15
Acceptance rate: 5 percent
For the first time since the 1920s, Harvard isn’t the top pick for young billionaires. In the hearts of fabulously wealthy millennials, Stanford is the place to be. This is probably because the university is in the middle of Silicon Valley, the hub of the startup industry that has padded the pockets of many.
Despite being involved in the Varsity Blues scandal in which rich families were bribing their way into admissions, Stanford continues to be widely respected.
2. Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
No. of millennial billionaire alumni: 10
Acceptance rate: 5 percent
The top two universities have been warring for the first spot for decades. Harvard has the highest number of billionaires across generations with 188 alumni earning over 10 figures. Unlike older generations, it seems like millennials are steering from Harvard to go to another prestigious university.
Ironically, the richest and most famous millennial billionaire, Mark Zuckerberg, attended Harvard but dropped out before receiving his diploma (as did fellow billionaire and later co-founder of Asana, Dustin Aaron Moskovitz).
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
No. of millennial billionaire alumni: 4
Rate of acceptance: 7 percent
Better known as MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology gathers some of the most brilliant minds on the planet. Of course, the university’s focus on technology has brought it to the forefront of the digital revolution for the past 50-plus years. One of its most well-known millennial billionaire alumni is Drew Houston, the co-founder of Dropbox.
4. Yale University (Tie)
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
No. of millennial billionaire alumnus: 3
Acceptance rate: 6.5 percent
One of the most respected higher education institutions in the world, Yale is a preferred university for the elite and wealthy. Given its renowned status as an Ivy League school, it’s no surprise that heirs of billionaires choose this as their alma mater. At least three of the world’s youngest billionaires have attended Yale.