10 Celebrities Who Went Back to College (and What They Studied)

Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala in Star Wars
Credit: Lucasfilm | Fair use for promotional purposes

Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala in Star Wars
Credit: Lucasfilm | Fair use for promotional purposes

Despite achieving massive success at the height of their career, some celebrities that we know and love still went back to college and studied for a degree.

Here are some of the stars who managed to go back to studying during their fame.

Emma Watson

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Emma Watson spent most of her younger years playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, but she still managed to study for college after her decade-long tenure in the role.

She graduated from Brown University in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in English literature.

Oprah Winfrey

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Despite her career taking off in the late 1980s due to her talk show, Oprah Winfrey still found time to finish her college studies and get a degree.

After finally submitting her final paper years after leaving college, she received her degree in communication from Tennessee State University in 1987.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman in Thor: Love and Thunder
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Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman started her celebrated acting career at a young age, but that did not stop her from studying in college while achieving massive fame.

In 2003, she graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

Jodie Foster

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Just like some of the entries in this list, Oscar-winning actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster also started her showbiz career at a young age, but she managed to find time to study and get her degree.

In 1985, she graduated magna cum laude at Yale University with a degree in African-American literature.

Cole Sprouse

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After a successful child actor career in Disney Channel shows, Cole Sprouse took an acting hiatus and studied archaeology at New York University.

He managed to resume his acting career after graduating and starred in the hit CW series Riverdale as the iconic character Jughead Jones.

Haley Joel Osment

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Haley Joel Osment's acting career took off at a young age and he even became an Oscar nominee for his acclaimed performance in The Sixth Sense.

He still found time to study college and graduated from New York University's Tish School of the Arts in 2011 with a degree in experimental theater.

Dakota Fanning

Dakota Fanning in The Equalizer 3
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After years of a successful career as a child actress, Dakota Fanning took a hiatus to study college and pursue a degree.

In 2014, she graduated from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University where she majored in women's studies. Afterwards, she went back to acting again.

Miranda Cosgrove

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Miranda Cosgrove was one of the biggest Nickelodeon stars during the early years of her career, and she eventually took an acting hiatus to focus on her studies.

She graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in psychology. She went back to acting and starred in the iCarly revival series.

Yara Shahidi

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Despite starring in the hit sitcoms Black-ish and Grown-ish, Yara Shahidi found time to study college and pursue a degree.

In 2022, She eventually graduated from Harvard University majoring in Interdisciplinary Sociology and Black American Studies.

Claire Danes

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Claire Danes had a prominent career throughout the 1990s with high-profile starring roles in several films. In 1998, she enrolled at Yale University to study psychology.

However, after studying for two years, she dropped out of college to focus on her acting career again.

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