Looking at the profile of most of the US presidents, you’d think that there is an education requirement to hold the highest seat in the land. That’s not the case.
If you were to look at the constitution, you’d notice that there are 3 requirements. He/she must be at least 35 years old, must have 14 years of residency in the US and be a natural born US citizen. There is no mention of the educational background at all.
In fact, 12 former US presidents never held a degree while in office. Two of them, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, are considered some of the finest people ever to occupy the highest seat in the land. With that said, many of the presidents hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
Let’s explore which colleges some of our ex-presidents attended.
- Harvard University
Without a doubt, Harvard University is the undisputed champion in this category. It was founded in 1636 before the office of the president was even a thing. The college has a long line of presidents that got their degrees in the institution.
The first president to obtain a degree from Harvard was John Adams with the latest entry being Barack Obama. America’s first black president earned his law degree from Harvard Law and would serve as an editor for the Harvard Law review.
George W. Bush and Teddy Roosevelt are two other presidents who got their degrees from this prestigious college.
- Yale
Are you even surprised at this point? Yale has produced at least 3 presidents since its founding. George Bush senior and his son got their degrees from the college and so did Bill Clinton who earned his law degree from Yale. Other notable presidents to have gone through this college were William Howard Taft and Gerald Ford.
The world leaders are smart, intellectual and good decision-makers. Along with education, you must also focus on all-round things and excel in several areas and not just one. Delegating the work when you feel the pressure of college assignments, thesis and dissertation is important.
Like these great leaders, you as a student can do the same by delegating tasks to online writing service EduBirdy so that you can focus on the more important aspects of your life such as finals, extra-curriculars, focusing on political career or starting a business venture.
- College of William and Mary
From two of the more famous colleges in the United States to a relative unknown to many outside the country is the College of William and Mary. Fun fact: College of William and Mary is the second oldest institution in the country having been founded in 1660. The college was founded before the United States even existed.
The institution can boast of hosting some of the country’s early founders with people like Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler being part of the student board. George Washington, the first president of the United States, also attended the college having obtained a surveyor’s certificate. He’d also later become chancellor of the school in the 1700s.
- Princeton University
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, attended Princeton and was also the University president for a period of time. Woodrow Wilson attended Princeton as a student and would later become a professor of politics at the same college.
Some other notable presidents to have attended Princeton include John F. Kennedy, who attended the university briefly before transferring to Harvard.
- United States Military Academy at West Point
Only 3 presidents have the title of graduating from an army college in the United States. 2 of those presidents graduated from West Point.
This military academy has had the privilege of graduating two of the most important generals in the country’s history. Ulysses S. Grant was one of them. He was the lead general of the Union Army during the civil war.
He’d later become president after winning the election and succeeding the previous president Andrew Johnson. Dwight D. Eisenhower is another revered 5-star general who was the supreme allied commander of the forces in Europe.
He was elected president in 1952 and served two terms. If you were wondering, Jimmy Carter is the other president to have attended a military academy. He graduated from the US Naval Academy.
