It’s hard to imagine celebrities rushing to class, burying their heads in textbooks and living in student accommodation, but that’s exactly what some of our favorite stars have done.
From sports people to actors, comedians to authors, we’ve scoured the internet to find 15 of the most surprising celebrity degrees.
These celebrities have eye-watering net worths that far exceed the average salaries of the students they used to share a class with. We’ve ranked the celebs in order of the number of years it would take a graduate with the same degree to equal their income.
15. Rebel Wilson
Attribute: Eva Rinaldi/Wikimedia She’s one of the industry’s most entertaining comedic actresses, but Rebel Wilson was undertaking some serious studying before getting her big break.
The Hollywood starlet earned a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of South Wales in her home country of Australia.
14. Gerard Butler:
Attribute: Gordon Correll/Flickr He’s one of the globe's biggest blockbuster movie stars, but Gerard Butler narrowly missed out on a career as a lawyer.
Butler gained a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Glasgow and landed a trainee position at a local law firm, only to be fired a week before he was due to qualify because of his wild partying. You could say it worked out quite well for him.
13. Mayim Bialik:
Attribute: Jam Ong/Flickr Best known for her role as neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler in The Big Bang Theory, actress Mayim Bialik studied neuroscience in real life too.
Despite being offered places at the prestigious Harvard and Yale universities, Bialik decided that the University of California was the right institution for her PhD studies.
12. Lewis Carroll:
During his time at Oxford, Carroll came up with the idea for his infamous Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
11. Kourtney Kardashian:
Now we come to think of it, a theatre program was the ideal preparation for Kourtney’s later career as a scripted reality TV star.
10. Liam Neeson:
The much-loved actor studied computer science and physics at Queen’s University Belfast before (thankfully) realizing his passion for performing.
9. Reneé Zellweger:
The Oscar-winning actress studied English at The University of Texas. It was here that she took an elective drama course and discovered her love of acting.
8. Lisa Kudrow:
But before hanging out with the likes of Jennifer Anniston, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc at Central Perk, Kudrow was studying hard for a degree in biology at Vassar College.
7. Venus Williams:
Alongside her countless championships and medals, Venus also has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Indiana University East under her belt.
6. Rowan Atkinson:
Rowan Atkinson earned a BSc in electrical engineering from Newcastle University before pursuing a Master’s at Queen’s College, Oxford.
5. Ricky Gervais:
It was while studying for a philosophy degree at University College London that Gervais developed some of his funniest material and characters.
4. Brian May:
After enjoying great success, May abandoned his doctorate studies to tour the globe with Queen. He eventually decided The Show Must Go On and completed his PhD in 2007.
3. Shaquille O’Neal:
After cutting short his bachelor’s education to join the Orlando Magic, O’Neal returned to college to finish his undergraduate degree, earn a master’s, and then graduate from Barry University with a PhD.
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Judging by the star’s vast business empire, it’s clear that he’s put his degree to good use.
1. Michael Jordan: