32 Stars Who Went to Ivy League Schools

While plenty of celebrities may have skipped higher education to pursue their craft, there are quite a few who went on to college, and some who even earned graduate degrees from various institutions. We're taking a look at some of the Hollywood hotshots who studied at Ivy League schools — that would be Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, or Yale. Some even earned multiple degrees — keep scrolling to see which.

01
Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita got her master's degree from Yale's School of Drama.

02
Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep

Meryl famously attended Yale's School of Drama for her MFA in the early '70s.

03
Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling

Mindy graduated from Dartmouth in 2001 with a degree in playwriting.

04
John Legend

John Legend

John graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English with an emphasis on African American literature.

05
Matt Damon

Matt Damon

Matt dropped out of Harvard in 1992 while just 12 credits shy from a BA in English.

06
James Franco

James Franco

James attended Columbia's famed graduate writing program and brought home a graduate degree in 2010. He then went on to enroll in a PhD program for English at Yale.

08
Julia Stiles

Julia Stiles

Julia graduated from Columbia in 2005 with a degree in literature.

09
Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in communications with a focus on theater arts. She graduated in 1996.

10
Liev Schreiber

Liev Schreiber

Liev got his MFA from Yale's School of Drama in 1992.

11
Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman

Natalie took a small break from acting to pursue a degree in psychology from Harvard.

12
Sanaa Lathan

Sanaa Lathan

Sanaa earned a master's degree at the Yale School of Drama.

13
Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch

Jane got her MFA in theater arts from Cornell.

15
Anna Paquin

Anna Paquin

Anna attended Columbia for one year but dropped out to pursue acting interests.

16
Emma Watson

Emma Watson

Emma attended Brown but took a leave of absence to attend Oxford and pursue acting interests. In May 2014, though, she graduated!

17
Connie Britton

Connie Britton

In 1989, Connie graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Asian studies.

18
Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal

Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal

The Gyllenhaal siblings both went to Columbia. Maggie graduated in 1999 with a degree in literature and Eastern religions, while Jake dropped out after two years to pursue acting.

19
Allison Williams

Allison Williams

Allison graduated from Yale in 2010.

20
Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett

Angela received her BA in African American studies from Yale in 1980 and went on to get her MFA from Yale's School of Drama in 1983.

21
David Duchovny

David Duchovny

David got his undergraduate degree in English from Princeton in 1982 and went on to get a master's in English from Yale in 1989. He also pursued a PhD while at Yale but quit before finishing.

22
Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster

In 1985, Jodie graduated with a degree in literature from Yale.

23
Winston Duke

Winston Duke

Like his Black Panther costar Lupita Nyong'o, Winston also attended the Yale School of Drama.

24
Ellie Kemper

Ellie Kemper

In 2002, Ellie graduated from Princeton with a degree in English.

25
Amanda Peet

Amanda Peet

Amanda graduated from Columbia in 1995.

26
Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy graduated with a BA in English from Harvard in 1969. During his time at Harvard, he lived in the same dorm as future Vice President Al Gore.

27
Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones

Rashida studied religion and philosophy at Harvard before graduating in 1997.

28
Whitney Cummings

Whitney Cummings

Whitney graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004 with a degree in communications and film.

29
Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys

Alicia attended Columbia for one year before dropping out to focus on her music career.

30
Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields

In 1987, Brooke graduated with a degree in French literature from Princeton.

31
John Krasinski

John Krasinski

In 2001, John graduated from Brown with a degree in playwriting.

32
Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer attended Yale for two years before transferring to Stanford in 1990.

— Additional reporting by Maria Mercedes Lara