Skip to main content
What are your chances of acceptance?
Your chance of acceptance
Duke University
Loading…
UCLA
Loading…
+ add school
Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

What colleges have the most well-known alumni?

Hey everyone, I'm a junior and I've started to think about colleges. I'm interested in finding which colleges have a lot of famous or successful alumni. I'm not only talking about entertainment celebrities, but successful in different fields. I guess that could reflect the opportunities and network the college provides. Any suggestions on where I can find such information?

a year ago

Sure thing, I can guide you through some colleges known for their prodigious alumni.

Stanford University has a notable alumni network, which spans from business leaders--like the co-founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Netflix’s co-founder Reed Hastings--to public figures, such as President Herbert Hoover and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Harvard University's alumni base includes several presidents, scores of foreign heads of state, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Notable alumni include Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Bill Gates of Microsoft.

University of Pennsylvania boasts successful businessman and entrepreneur, Elon Musk (SpaceX, Tesla Motors), as well as Donald Trump among its alumni.

MIT has a strong representation particularly in the technology and science fields, boasting astronauts including Buzz Aldrin, and Khan Academy founder Salman Khan.

Columbia University is well-regarded for its contributions to arts and literature, with alumni that include Barack Obama and great writers like Jack Kerouac and J.D. Salinger.

Yale University has produced presidents, Supreme Court Justices, and famous actors like Meryl Streep and Edward Norton.

You might also consider the UK's University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, which have a global array of influential alumni, including numerous world leaders, Nobel laureates, and famous thinkers. Members of the Royal Family, Prime Ministers, and renowned authors like C.S. Lewis (Oxford) and Sir Isaac Newton (Cambridge) are some of the notable names.

Keep in mind that the fame of alumni does not necessarily indicate the quality of education or opportunities provided by these institutions. It's worth factoring in your specific areas of interest and career objectives when researching the alumni of schools you might be interested in.

a year ago

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.