Where 25 Movie Stars Went to College
Not all movie stars are created equal. Some are tall. Some are short. Some spend their free time on philanthropy. Some spend their free time in jail. And some secretly gave children up for adoption. Wait; that's actually Tina Fey's character in "Admission" — not to be confused with the real Tina Fey, who (at the time of this posting) has not put any of her offspring up for adoption.
But since we're on the subject of this new comedy, in which Fey plays a Princeton admissions officer, we thought it high time to hit the books (well, the Internet) and find out which stars were at the head of their classes and which stars never matriculated. Yeah, we looked that word up.
1. Tina Fey — Graduate
Tina Fey received a BA in drama from the University of Virginia.
2. John Krasinski — Graduate
John Krasinski graduated from Brown University as a playwright.
3. Jessica Biel — Drop Out
Jessica Biel dropped out of Tufts University after only three semesters. Who knows what she was studying.
4. Matt Damon – Drop Out
Matt Damon dropped out of Harvard University, where he had been an English major.
5. Emma Watson – Jury's Still Out
Emma Watson started at Brown University back in 2009, but left before the two-year mark to promote one of those "Harry Potter" flicks. First she said she was going back, then she said she wasn't ... now ... we're not so sure. Fingers crossed Hermione (eventually) graduates!
6. James Franco – Triple Graduate
James Franco doesn't mess around. This serious bookworm has a BA in English from UCLA, a MFA from Columbia and NYU and is pursuing his doctorate at Yale.
7. Anne Hathaway – Drop Out
Anne Hathaway dropped out of NYU's Gallatin School for Individualized Study.
8. Natalie Portman — Graduate
Natalie Portman earned a BA in psychology from Harvard University.
9. Jake Gyllenhaal — Drop Out
Jake Gyllenhaal studied Tibetan philosophy at Columbia University before dropping out his sophomore year.
10. Maggie Gyllenhaal — Graduate
Maggie Gyllenhaal fared better than her brother at Columbia University, graduating with a double major in English and Eastern Religions.
11. Joseph Gordon-Levitt — Drop Out
JGL dropped out of Columbia University, where he was studying history, literature and French poetry — not English poetry, just French poetry.
12. Kate Beckinsale — Drop Out
Kate Beckinsale studied at a little place you may have heard of called Oxford University, but dropped out to pursue acting full time.
13. Woody Allen – Double Drop Out
Woody Allen was first kicked out of New York University (for bad grades), and then dropped out of City College of New York (because he was ... uh ... over it).
14. Rashida Jones – Graduate
Rashida Jones studied religion and philosophy at Harvard University.
15. Ben Stiller — Drop Out
Ben Stiller studied film at UCLA ... for about a half a year before dropping out.
16. Julia Stiles — Graduate
Julia Stiles holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University.
17. Wentworth Miller — Graduate
Wentworth Miller earned a BA in English from Princeton University, where he performed with an a cappella group called The Tigertones.
18. Mindy Kaling — Graduate
Mindy Kaling is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where (in addition to studying) she sang with an a cappella group and performed with an improv troupe.
19. Edward Norton — Graduate
Ed Norton received a BA in History from Yale University.
20. Tom Hanks — Drop Out
Tom Hanks dropped out of California State University in Sacramento in order to intern at a theater. Seems like it was a good move.
21. Elizabeth Banks — Graduate
Elizabeth Banks graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was also a member of Delta Delta Delta, aka Tri-Delt.
22. Brad Pitt — Drop Out
Brad Pitt studied journalism and advertising at the University of Missouri, but dropped out (just two credits shy of graduating!) to pursue modeling and acting.
23. Reese Witherspoon — Drop Out
Reese Witherspoon dropped out of Stanford University, where she had been studying English, to pursue acting.
24. Amy Poehler – Graduate
Amy Poehler holds a BA in media and communications from Boston College.
25. Johnny Depp — Early Drop Out
Johnny Depp didn't drop out of college ... he dropped out of high school. When he was 15. To be a rock star. Of course.