Here's How Far Carrie Underwood Made It In School

It's not uncommon for celebrities to be college dropouts. Specifically, singers frequently trade the classroom for their destined careers, eager to get started ASAP. For "American Idol" winner turned judge Carrie Underwood, the situation was more complex. Though the controversial country star did pause her education at Northeastern State University to pursue her singing dreams initially, she was eventually awarded with her degree.

Underwood was just three credits shy of graduation when she departed to compete on Season 4 of "American Idol." Her appearance on the hit TV show ultimately counted as a special makeshift internship, allowing the "Before He Cheats" hitmaker to finally graduate in 2006. Underwood was majoring in mass communications, with an emphasis in journalism, at the time, so working in TV production even as a contestant made sense.

As for high school, impressively, the singer-songwriter graduated second in her class, otherwise known as the Salutatorian rank. In fact, Underwood was reminiscing with her fellow "American Idol" judges about high school when she revealed that she would have actually finished first if not for scheduling conflicts between two of her required courses.

Carrie Underwood might have been glad to leave college when she did, considering the singer acknowledged being cheated on during her time at Northeastern State University while appearing on "The Howard Stern Show," in 2023. Evidently, though, she would have found her way into the entertainment industry one way or another. While speaking to SiriusXM in 2021 the country star confirmed that if she was not pulled into "American Idol" she would have likely kept up her pursuits in broadcasting. 

Further, Underwood stated that she would have always found a way to sing in public, even if it was limited to church services. Luckily for the "Jesus, Take the Wheel" hitmaker, "American Idol" is the gift that keeps on giving. First, she won the show's fourth season, which launched her hugely successful, chart-topping, Grammy-winning career. Underwood then returned to "American Idol" as a judge for Season 23, in 2025. 

Although several scandals have led to Carrie Underwood's massive downfall from fame — including on "American Idol" itself, where Underwood's diva behavior took her soured reputation from bad to worse — the country star will always have something to fall back on. Should Underwood ever lose her coveted position as a TV judge, or be unable to release music anymore for whatever reason, the singer-songwriter still has her college degree.