(rankings from Forbes Top 400, Oct. 2, 2019)
WITH
College Degrees
WITHOUT
College Degrees
1.

BA in Science
Princeton University
Worth $114 billion
via Amazon.com
Forbes Rank: 1

Dropped out
Harvard University
Worth $106 billion
via Microsoft
Forbes Rank: 2
2.

MS in economics
Columbia Business School
Worth $80.8 billion
via Berkshire Hathaway
Forbes Rank: 3

Dropped out
Harvard University
Worth $69.6 billion
via Facebook
Forbes Rank: 4
3.

MS in Computer Science
Stanford University
Worth $55.5 billion
via Google
Forbes Rank: 6

Dropped out
University of Chicago & University
of Illinois at Urbana
Worth $65 billion
via Oracle
Forbes Rank: 5
4.

MS in Computer Science
Stanford University
Worth $53.5 billion
via Google
Forbes Rank: 7

Dropped out
City College of New York
Worth $34.5 billion
via casinos
Forbes Rank: 17
5.

MBA
Harvard Business School
Worth $53.4 billion
via Bloomberg LP
Forbes Rank: 8

Dropped Out
University of Texas at Austin
Worth $32.3 billion
via Dell
Forbes Rank: 19
6.

BA
Harvard University
Worth $51.7 billion
via Microsoft
Forbes Rank: 9

Dropped out
New York University
Worth $17.5 billion
via digital trading
Forbes Rank: 31
7.

BA in Science
University of Arkansas
Worth $51.6 billion
via WalMart inheritance
Forbes Rank: 10

Dropped out
Syracuse University
Worth $12.8 billion
via media
Forbes Rank: 37
8.

BA in Science
Trinity University
Worth $51.4 billion
via Walmart inheritance
Forbes Rank: 11

Dropped out
Harvard University
Worth $11.6 billion
via Facebook
Forbes Rank: 40
9.

JD
Columbia University
Worth $51.3 billion
via Walmart inheritance
Forbes Rank: 12

Dropped out
San Jose University
Worth $10.1 billion
via WhatsApp
Forbes Rank: 47
10.

MS in Mechanical Engineering
& MS in Chemical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Worth $41 billion
via Koch Industries
Forbes Rank: 13

Dropped out
Michigan State University
& Baylor University
Worth $9.8 billion
via Beal Financial Corporation
Forbes Rank: 48
Julia Koch, David Koch’s widow, and their three children are worth a collective $41 billion. Because the wealth is split among the four people and this list is about individual wealth as related to college degrees, we have not included Julia Koch on this list.
Cumulative Wealth of Top 10 Wealthiest
Americans WITH College Degrees:
$604.2
billion
Cumulative Wealth of Top 10 Wealthiest
Americans WITHOUT College Degrees:
$369.2
billion
The cumulative wealth of the top 10 billionaires with college degrees is
63.7%
more than the cumulative earnings of those without degrees.
Source:
Editors Luisa Kroll and Kerry A. Dolan, “The Forbes 400: The Definitive Ranking of the Wealthies Americans,” forbes.com, Oct. 2, 2019
More College Debates |
---|
Should student loan debt be eliminated via forgiveness or bankruptcy? |
Should public college be tuition-free? |
Should colleges and universities pay athletes? |