8 Celebrity Kids Who Are Crushing It At College

Celebrity parents are pretty much the same as any other. Sure, they may not have to worry about the cost of food, clothes, or family trips, but money and fame aren't worth a ton when you have a colicky baby, a defiant preschooler, or a hormonal teen. Most parents, regardless of status, hope these difficulties pass and that their children can follow their own dreams, which in many cases requires a good education first and foremost. There, too, stardom only gets you so far, so any celebrity kid who crushes it in college has definitely made their parents proud.

A little clout and a wad of money can help ease the way through college for a celeb's child, though the college admissions scandal involving Lori Laughlin put that practice under the microscope. After that, though, it's up to the student to decide whether to hit the books hard, spend their time partying, or change courses midway and pursue a different field of interest — or none entirely.

As of this writing, a number of celebrity children are getting ready for campus life, either for the first time or as returning students with some seniority. We've highlighted some standouts among them whose talents and dedication hint at a bright post-grad future; a couple of them have already surpassed their parents by attending college in the first place. Read on and have some hope that the next generation of at least some celeb kids has made good use of their silver spoons and might help make the world a better place.

With the host of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" for a dad, there's no doubt Ryder Fieri never went hungry at home. The younger son of Guy Fieri doesn't have his eye on becoming the next Food Network Star, however. In 2025, he entered his freshman year at San Diego State University, where he's in their hospitality program. Ryder is following his own path in other ways, too; while his dad and older brother, Hunter Fieri, are graduates of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Ryder is the first in the family to attend the California institution.

Ryder still finds plenty of time to hang with his dad; they frequently attend basketball games together, and in the summer of 2026, they met head-to-head on "Hot Ones Versus." Spoiler alert: Ryder won in the final challenge by creating a better PB&J variation than Guy. "Ryder has become a much better cook since going to college," said the proud dad (per YouTube).

Despite growing up with two famous parents and constant media attention, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's three kids seem surprisingly well-adjusted and are thriving. Their oldest, Violet Affleck, is attending Yale University, and in her freshman year, she published an article in the Yale Global Health Review. "A Chronically Ill Earth: COVID Organizing as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles" compared the aftereffects of the recent California wildfires to those of the post-pandemic years and warned against being complacent about either crisis ever happening again.

Once Violet completes her studies, she'll be the first Ivy League graduate in her household; her mom attended Denison University in Ohio, while her "Armageddon" star dad never finished college. Affleck did receive an honorary doctorate from Brown in 2013, but Violet might argue that it doesn't count. After all, in his acceptance speech, he admitted (per People), "My daughter's seven. She said, 'Why are you doing that, Dad? You went to no classes, you did no homework.'"

In a departure from her upbringing in New York, Suri Noelle is enjoying college life in Pittsburgh, where she was set to begin her junior year at Carnegie Mellon University in the fall of 2026. The daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is studying at the college's highly regarded School of Drama, presumably to follow in her parents' footsteps.

While other college students spent their summer sleeping in, working part-time jobs, and enjoying some home cooking, Suri was busy working on the play "Midsummer!", a reimagining of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The show ran for two performances at a local theater, after which Suri and her cast mates headed to Scotland to present the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for two weeks.

It was an eventful summer for the young actor in another respect, too. In July 2026, she legally changed her name to Suri Noelle, taking her mother's middle name as her surname. It's thought to be a statement on her relationship with her dad, similar to the move some of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's six children have made. Suri had unofficially ditched Tom Cruise's name in 2024, but it looks like she's ready to sever all ties and move on.

Like his biblical namesake, Moses Martin has made his exodus, though on a much smaller scale. The son of Gwyneth Paltrow and her former husband, Chris Martin, Moses left L.A. in 2024 to attend Brown University in Rhode Island, a highly regarded Ivy League school where students design their own course of study. Moses hadn't yet revealed his major as of this writing, but the college's flexibility gives him space to pursue his off-campus interests.

Moses is a founding member of the rock group People I've Met, which spent the summer of 2026 holding a small fundraising music festival, followed by a hop across the pond to British music festivals in Reading and Leeds. Moses has grown up to be pretty stunning, so it's no surprise that he also made his modeling debut in 2026 with an appearance in a Burberry campaign. Whatever career path he eventually follows — music, modeling, acting, entrepreneurship, or something entirely different — Moses will have his parents' support all the way.

Jelly Roll credits his daughter, Bailee Ann DeFord, with helping set him on the path to recovery and fame. The "Son of a Sinner" country hitmaker was serving time on drug charges when he was informed that his ex-girlfriend had just given birth to his first child. Jelly Roll decided to turn his life around as a result, and it paid off in the form of a successful music career. Bailee had a difficult childhood herself, but she, too, has worked to overcome her hardships. During a 2024 appearance on the "Dumb Blonde" podcast, she expressed interest in attending Columbia University to study law and criminal defense, which would be a sort of full-circle moment for her family.

In 2026, she graduated from high school with a 4.0 average and is headed for an unnamed college. On her graduation day, Jelly Roll posted an emotional tribute on Instagram, reading in part, "today you accomplish something very very very few people in this family have ever accomplished, including myself." Adding that he's looking forward to announcing her college graduation, the musician wrote, "Some people were born to walk. Some people were born to run, but very few were born to fly... [You] Bailee Ann were born to FLY!"

Besides being lifelong best friends, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have something else in common: "wicked smaht" college-age daughters. Isabella Damon, the second of "The Odyssey" star's four daughters, is heading off on an odyssey of her own. The recent high school grad headed to NYU for the 2026 fall semester, where she'll be attending the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Similar to the program Moses Martin is following at Brown, Gallatin allows students to design their own curriculum based on their personal interests. Examples include combinations of finance and environmental studies, computer science and ethical technology, and a self-created major, "Infectious Diseases from an Interdisciplinary Perspective."

Freshman year can be daunting as well as exciting, but fortunately, Isabella won't have far to go if she needs a pep talk from mom and dad. The Damons moved to New York in 2021, where Isabella attended the Brooklyn Friends School. Taking to Facebook, the Quaker prep school gave her an adoring shout-out in May 2024, writing, "Bella, your unique blend of observational wit, thoughtful prose, and unwavering self-assurance has left an indelible mark on our community. Your teachers have cherished the depth and creativity you have brought to Word Flirt, and your peers have been inspired by your fearless individuality."

HGTV favorites Chip and Joanna Gaines are busy parents as well as renovation experts, decorators, and business owners. Their Texas farm is looking a little emptier lately, with their two oldest children off at college. In 2026, their oldest, Drake Gaines, entered his junior year at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, not far from their home in Waco, Texas. He's studying business entrepreneurship, so there might be a Magnolia 2.0 in our future. He is also an avid baseball player; the outfielder missed the 2024 season with an injury, but returned the following year and will hopefully enjoy a winning season this time around.

Ella Gaines debuted a mature new look during her first year of college in 2025. The couple's second child and oldest daughter returned home for Christmas that year, sporting redder hair than pictured in earlier photos. Unlike her big brother, Ella opted for a school much farther from home; she's reportedly studying at New York's prestigious Parsons School of Design. She, too, may be hoping to follow her parents' lead; Ella helped design one of the guest cottages on their home property in "Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House."