34 Celebrities Who Went to Ivy League Schools (and Also Stanford)
These talented stars made their higher education a priority and sought out the most exclusive institutions in the country to do so. Scroll down below to find out which Ivy league schools your favorite celebrities attended.
Julie Bowen - Brown University
The Modern Family star graduated from the Rhode Island Ivy in 1991 with a degree in Renaissance Studies.
Casey Affleck - Columbia University
The Oscar-winner studied at Columbia for two years before dropping out to pursue acting full-time.
Angela Bassett - Yale University
The Oscar nominee graduated from Yale with a B.A. in African-American studies in 1980, returning shortly after to earn an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama.
Elizabeth Banks - University of Pennsylvania
The Wet Hot American Summer star majored in communications with a concentration in theater arts, graduating magna cum laude in '96.
Jordana Brewster - Yale University
Before things got Fast and Furious, Brewster studied English at Yale. The actress graduated from the Ivy in '03, taking part in a true family tradition (her grandfather was once the university's president).
Connie Britton - Dartmouth College
The celebrated TV actress graduated from the New Hampshire school in 1989 with a degree in Asian Studies.
Claire Danes - Yale University
Has anyone ever had a conversation about Claire Danes and not discussed her time at Yale? It's doubtful. Anyway, the My So Called Life star began studying psychology at the prestigious school in '98, dropping out two years later to focus on her acting career.
Matt Damon - Harvard University
The Boston native started at Harvard in '88, taking time off here and there before eventually dropping out to pursue his acting career.
Jodie Foster - Yale University
The prolific actress graduated from the CT-based Ivy in '85 with a degree in English.
Jake Gyllenhaal - Columbia University
Like his sister Maggie, Jake attended Columbia with a major in Eastern Religions. Unlike his big sis, Jake dropped out after two years.
Rashida Jones - Harvard University
Jones graduated from Harvard in '97 with a degree in acting.
Issa Rae - Stanford University
HBO's comedic "It" girl graduated from the prestigious California school in '07 with a degree in African and African-American studies.
James Franco - Columbia University
The ultra-educated actor graduated from Columbia's MFA program in 2010. The same year, Franco also enrolled in Yale's English and Film Ph.D. program.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Columbia University
JGL took a break from acting in 2000 to study History, Literature, and French Poetry at Columbia. During his fourth year at the urban Ivy, just shy of earning his diploma, Gordon-Levitt returned to acting.
Ashley Judd - Harvard University
In 2010, the Someone Like You star graduated with a master's degree in public administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Mindy Kaling - Dartmouth College
The Mindy Project star graduated from Dartmouth in '01 with a degree in playwriting.
Ellie Kemper - Princeton University
Although Netflix heroine Kimmy Schmidt erred in her brush with the Ivy League, Kemper herself graduated from New Jersey's finest in '02 with a B.A. in English.
John Legend - University of Pennsylvania
Not only did the world-famous crooner attend an Ivy League, he also enrolled at just 16! Legend studied English with a focus on African American lit before graduating in '99.
Laura Linney - Brown University
The Ozark star graduated in '86 with a degree in theater arts. She also graduated from The Julliard School.
John Krasinski - Brown University
The Office alum graduated in '01, just a few years before he became a household name with his starring role in the NBC comedy.
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Columbia University
Jake's famous big sis followed through with her education, graduating with a B.A. in English Literature in '99.
Mira Sorvino - Harvard University
A foil to one of the characters for which she is best known (Romy of Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion), Sorvino graduated magna cum laude in '90 with a degree in East Asian studies.
Lupita Nyong'o - Yale University
The Oscar-winner attended the Yale School of Drama, earning an MFA in 2012โjust a year prior to the release of her career-making performance in 12 Years a Slave.
Tracee Ellis Ross - Brown University
The black-ish star earned a degree in theatre from the Rhode Island Ivy, graduating with the class of '94.
Shonda Rhimes - Dartmouth College
Network TV's super-producer queen earned a degree in English with Creative Writing in '91.
Brooke Shields - Princeton University
Shields took a break from show biz to attend Princeton, where she earned a degree in Romance Languages in '87.
Jenny Slate - Columbia University
The Landline star graduated from the N.Y.C. Ivy in '04.
Reese Witherspoon - Stanford University
Witherspoon entered Stanford as an English major in the mid-'90s but has been "on leave" since 1996.
Allison Williams - Yale University
A graduate of the class of 2010, Williams completed her English degree just two years prior to landing her career-making role on Girls.
Emma Watson - Brown University
The Harry Potter alum completed an English degree at Brown in 2014.
Julia Stiles - Columbia University
Stiles stalled the pace of her acting career in 2000 when she enrolled as an English major at Columbia. She graduated in 2005.
Ivanka Trump - University of Pennsylvania
Keeping with family tradition, Ivanka graduated from U.Penn's Wharton Business School in 2004. Ivanka's father and two of her three adult siblings also attended the Pennsylvania Ivy.
Sigourney Weaver - Yale and Stanford University
The Alien star earned a B.A. in English at Stanford in '72 and later attended Yale Drama School.
Meryl Streep - Yale University
The Oscar-winner earned her MFA from Yale Drama School in 1975.
For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on InStyle.