Throwback Pics Of Celebs During Their College Years Before Finding Fame

Every celebrity's path to fame looks a little different. Some celebrities start when they're very young at the behest of their parents, sometimes without actively deciding to pursue a career in entertainment on their own. Others drop out of school or leave home as soon as they have their high school diploma in search of work that's notoriously hard to find. Some celebrities, however, attend college before starting their career in entertainment.

And as much as the phrase is thrown around, it's hard to imagine celebrities being just like us. But there are plenty of huge stars who live like normal people, and many were normal people back in their college days. Some probably did keg stands while others tailgated at homecoming football games. Some were very studious while others were just there to have fun. And while some entered school with a clear vision of what they wanted to pursue after graduation, others had different ideas, studying something more mundane, perhaps, before discovering a true talent or passion and realizing they're talented enough to do it professionally. For many celebs, like many regular people, college was a means to get them where they were going. Take a look at these throwback pics of stars who earned college degrees, or at least started their college careers, before finding fame.

Lifetime movie star Will Ferrell attended the University of Southern California, and despite being one of the funniest men to ever grace a movie screen, he didn't initially plan on pursuing comedy or acting. He actually studied Sports Information and saw himself getting into broadcasting, but eventually realized he had a different passion. "I set upon this road of going to these journalism classes. But I just loved making my friends laugh," Ferrell said while visiting his alma mater, per USC School of Dramatic Arts. Soon enough, he began making more than just his friends laugh.

Plenty of comedy writers graduated from Ivy League schools. One such writer is Conan O'Brien, who graduated from Harvard University in 1985. While there, O'Brien was twice elected president of the Harvard Lampoon, the school's renowned comedy publication, and in 2026, O'Brien returned to campus to deliver that year's commencement speech. "Your real education starts now, with friends you've made and friends you get to meet, with stunning successes and miserable defeats, and with a humble acceptance that your greatness comes from the mess around you, not despite it," O'Brien said to graduates, per The Harvard Gazette.

It's no surprise that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was a college football star. He played football for the University of Miami, even winning a national title while there. "Back then, he was a broad-shouldered defensive lineman and his teammates called him 'Dewey'. He was often spotted walking around campus in a lava-lava skirt singing country music," Johnson's college coach Dennis Erickson said of the star, per the College Football Hall of Fame. Of course, Johnson is more famous for his wrestling career than football, but he did play professionally in Canada for some time after college.

Michelle Obama is an Ivy League grad, just like her husband. Michelle attended Princeton University, earning a degree in sociology, and then went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. She was the first in her family to go to college, and encourages other first-generation college students to believe in themselves. "No matter where you come from or how much money your family has, I want you to know that you can succeed in college, and get your degree, and then go on to build an incredible life for yourself," she said, per The Obama White House.

Before she was on "The Real Housewives of Potomac," Gizelle Bryant was a Hampton University student. The Real Housewife joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, making her one of the notable sisters along with Kamala Harris, Phylicia Rashad, Toni Morrison, Wanda Sykes, and Star Jones. Now, Bryant has another famous connection via her sorority; her daughter is a member of AKA, as is Angelina Jolie's daughter. The famous mothers attended a mother-daughter brunch at Spelman College in 2026 and were photographed together at the event.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, one of the greatest Broadway composers of his generation, graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He initially thought he would study film and theater, but his plans quickly changed, and he solely focused on the latter. "I got to college thinking I knew everything. I got the rude awakening of, 'Oh, I don't know anything. I know how theatre at my high school worked. There's still so much I have to learn.' I was both humbled and empowered by this," Miranda said in an interview with Dramatics. His focus on theater definitely worked in his favor.

Remember what we said about comedy writers graduating from Ivy League schools? The stunning Mindy Kaling, one of today's most prolific comedy writers, graduated from Dartmouth College. She earned her degree in playwriting, and while she hasn't emerged as a playwright, she has told plenty of stories since graduating. "I loved my time at Dartmouth. It's where I did yes, improv, directed and acted in plays, made lifelong friends, and fell in love with writing for the stage. It's also where I quietly started thinking: 'maybe I could actually do this,'" Kaling said on Instagram.

Before Jessica Chastain got into college, attending The Juilliard School seemed like a long shot. Then she acted as Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" opposite a Juilliard student, and she changed her tune. "It felt like this faraway place that you had to be this insanely amazing person [to get in]. And of course the guy playing Romeo was amazing, but I thought, well, we're acting opposite each other, so maybe I could audition?" she said in a CBS interview. It was at college that Chastain connected with another future famous person, Michael Urie.  

Kourtney Kardashian Barker grew up in Los Angeles, but left home to go to college and began her college career at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. "I was so homesick because it was my first time living away from home ... My mom and I would cry so hard every time she left me to go back or when I would leave home to go back to college," Barker said on Instagram of the times her mom would visit her at school. Barker transferred after two years and earned her degree from the University of Arizona.

Michael Jordan is best known for being a professional basketball player, but he was a college star, too. The basketball GOAT attended the University of North Carolina, and as a freshman, led his team to the national championship. Jordan only stayed at college for three years because the NBA was waiting for him. "He truly has no flaws, or so few they aren't worth mentioning. He has great jumping ability and a classic jump shot. He can handle the ball on the break. He can do it all," a Los Angeles Times article said, per the NCAA.

Brad Pitt is so famous that it's hard to imagine his life before becoming a world-renowned actor. But before the Oscars and the famous wives and the millions of dollars, Pitt was a student at the University of Missouri. The Oklahoma native studied journalism at Mizzou, and although he finished nearly all of his coursework, he dropped out just shy of earning a degree to pursue an acting career. "I actually went through graduation. I just didn't finish my last week of classes and actually graduate. [I] walked the line, hat and all," he said, per Mizzou Magazine.

Most college kids are operating on a limited income. And while she's far from broke now, the fascinating Sandra Bullock wasn't immune to the financial struggles of undergrad life. The Oscar winner attended college at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and to earn some extra cash, she took up a unique gig. "I used to open up for drag queens in North Carolina by dancing," Bullock said on an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" when asked about the weirdest things she ever did for money.

Mahershala Ali is a man of many talents. Before he was an Oscar-winning actor, Ali was a guard on the Saint Mary's College of California basketball team, finishing with a career average of 3.6 points and 1.1 rebounds. Ali was the first person in his family to go to college, and now he gives back to Saint Mary's students through his Moonlight Scholarship. "It was the people, the faces, and the faculty that gave me the opportunity to blossom and bloom after school," Ali said to Saint Mary's students while visiting in 2026.

Another college-athlete-turned-award-winning actor, Uzo Aduba, was a track star at Boston University. Aduba ran sprints for the track team, and even earned the lauded Donelli Leadership Award for her excellence in 2002. Aduba wasn't just there for sports, though. "Aduba was a classical voice major and she came into class and sang Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Aida,' and I realized this woman was really an actress and musical theater person," one of Aduba's college professors said of the performer, per Bostonia. While at college, it became apparent that Aduba was going to be successful.

Matthew McConaughey loves his home state of Texas and stayed close by for college, earning his film degree from UT Austin in 1993. He eventually made his way to Los Angeles, where he would become an Oscar-winning actor, but now lives in Texas again. He also spent a few years working as a professor at his alma mater, teaching a Script to Screen class. "We take students chronologically from the first script, all the way through the final product that you see in the theater, and all the changes that happen along the way," McConaughey told People.

Kerry Washington studied anthropology in school, as well as psychology and sociology, creating her own bachelor's degree in the process. Washington earned her degree from Georgetown University, and initially thought she was going to be a teacher. "I had a real curiosity about how people become the people they are," she told the Television Academy. At the time, she had no interest in acting. "I thought that to be an actress, you had to want to be famous. And that wasn't something I was interested in," she said. Thankfully for fans of good acting, Washington changed her mind.

Lady Gaga is one of those celebrities who was born to be famous. But not everyone from her past thought so. Gaga attended New York University, and while there, some of her classmates created a Facebook group called "Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous," using Gaga's given name. In 2024, Lady Gaga addressed the infamous group by commenting on TikTok, "Some people I went to college [with] made this way back when ... This is why you can't give up when people doubt you or put you down — gotta keep going."

Carrie Underwood is one of those people who didn't need college to be successful, and though she studied mass communication and journalism at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, she dropped out to pursue a music career before finishing her degree. Things moved quickly for Underwood after winning "American Idol", and it was clear she didn't need her degree for her new line of work. Still, Underwood returned to college and earned her bachelor's degree after her school counted her time on "American Idol" as the final three credits she needed to graduate.

David Spade started refining his brand of humor while he was in college. The comedian attended Arizona State University, and although he studied business, his focus eventually shifted toward stand-up comedy. While at school, he started traveling back and forth to Los Angeles to perform at comedy clubs and build up his network. Spade did end up graduating from ASU, but he doesn't appear to use his degree much these days. His time at college was useful, though, as he later played a college student in the movie "PCU," not too long after finishing his degree.

Rowan Atkinson envisioned a much different career path than he ended up taking. The "Mr. Bean" actor studied electrical engineering at Newcastle University, and then went to Oxford, initially seeking a PhDm but finishing with his master's instead as he opted to focus on acting. "At the beginning of my time [at Oxford], I suppose 10 percent of the time was revue and 90 percent of the time was electrical engineering. Then slowly, the percentages [swapped]," Atkinson said in a 1981 interview of his gradual change from academia to acting.

People's paths cross at unique times. While Peyton Manning was in college playing football for the University of Tennessee, he met Kenny Chesney, who was still a rising country music star, and Chesney played a private concert at Manning's college apartment. Manning later shared the moment after Chesney was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. "Long way from playing my college apartment party in 1998! Honored to have watched the incredible journey to the Hall of Fame!" Manning said on Instagram. Chesney is a Tennessee native himself, growing up in the Knoxville area.

Before Viola Davis became an EGOT winner, she was a college student in her home state of Rhode Island. She attended Rhode Island College, where she studied theater, and then went on to Juilliard, but ultimately credits Rhode Island College for shaping her. "Rhode Island College is where I found myself. At RIC I had great professors and was involved in programs such as the Upward Bound Program and Student Support Services, all of which was instrumental in helping me find my passion," Davis said of her alma mater, per Our RIC.

Very few applicants are accepted into New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, but of those who are, a sizable number become famous. One such Tisch alumnus is Matthew Gray Gubler, and it was there that the performer's passion for acting was ignited. "In film school I acted in probably 6,000 student films because no other filmmakers knew anyone who wanted to act. It was all a big beautiful snake eating its tail, progressing along the way," Gubler told Backstage of his time at NYU.

Hillary Clinton didn't set out to find fame, but fame found her. The former first lady attended Wellesley College for undergrad, where she earned a degree in political science and delivered a commencement speech to her class, before going on to Yale Law School. Since earning a high degree and becoming a force in American politics, Clinton has been given several honorary degrees from notable institutions, including the University of Oxford, the University of St Andrews, and one of her alma maters, Yale University.