Anybody can experience late career transitions, regardless of their accomplishments or lines of work. All you need to do is choose the best degree program and educational institution for yourself. Sometimes, after working for years in a different area, you discover late throughout your life that you like the idea of doing something different; other times, you change careers in search of greater income or a better work environment. In any case, you’re not the only one considering returning to school to change occupations. Celebrities aren’t exempt from this!

See our list of the top 10 celebs below who left the spotlight to return to school and get their degrees.

# 1 Oprah Winfrey

Oprah has been inspiring people all across the world for years with her generosity, sensitivity, and numerous charitable projects. This well-known talk show host seems to have a gift for language and communication from birth.

She received a full scholarship to Tennessee State University after winning an oratory competition in high school. Even as a student, she started receiving employment offers in the media industry since she handled herself in college so well. Even though Oprah just needed one more credit to graduate, she decided to drop out of school and start working as a result. When she was a sophomore in college, she agreed to work for CBS.

Oprah was asked back to speak at TSU’s commencement in 1987, 13 years after she made a reputation for herself in the business. She stated that she was only going to agree to that after completing her coursework and earning her degree. And she carried out just that!

# 2 Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan, the most famous number 23 player on the Chicago Bulls and beyond, and perhaps the most well-known basketball player of all time, is capable of more than just slamming baskets.

He enrolled in the University of North Carolina following high school. His basketball prowess took off at that point, and in his junior year, he left college. In 1986, he went back to get his Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Geography.

# 3 Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks possesses both intelligence and beauty. She’s an actress, talk show host, producer, writer, model, and TV personality. A full platter, right? Seemingly not. Tyra enrolled in Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program (OPM) in 2011. The program ran for nine weeks. In 2012, she obtained her certificate for this course. She even lectured about media use in college at Stanford. Relevantly speaking, though, Tyra’s degree sparked a great deal of controversy when it was revealed on social media. Some magazines even conducted a brief investigation into her academic background, letting their readers draw their own conclusions. To sum up, Tyra was under fire from critics for a short-course certificate.

# 4 Shaquille O’Neal

One more well-known basketball player who recognized the value of a quality education. O’Neal had to drop out of school to play basketball, like other rising stars. He put a lot of effort into building his $400 million net worth, but he still owed his mother a commitment. So, O’Neal went back to Louisiana State University in 2000 and graduated with a bachelor's in business. He continued his studies after that, earning a doctorate in education from Barry University in 2012 and earning a master’s degree in business education from the University of Phoenix in 2005, which is the field that can provide students with certain fun but useful college courses. Shaquille O’Neal is a Doctor of Education in addition to his illustrious basketball career. In your face!

# 5 Emma Watson

After the Harry Potter series, in which she was a star, concluded, Watson was excited to start college because she was unable to pursue a diploma while shooting the series. After only 18 months of enrollment at Brown University, she was forced to take a leave of absence to fulfill her acting obligations. She was a visiting student at Worcester College, Oxford, during the 2011–12 academic year.

Nevertheless, Watson went back to finish her education at Brown, where she earned a Bachelor of English Literature in 2014. Among the celebrities whose IQ scores are gathered here, she truly excels. Emma Watson’s IQ score amasses 138 and, according to the Mensa ranking, that figure falls into High IQ, which only two percent of the population has. Do you still wonder why she enrolled back at the university and concluded her studies without any problems?

# 6 James Franco

James Franco clearly genuinely enjoys studying and learning new things. This busy actor, director, and teacher (yes, you read that right, he taught a theater course at NYU) has a long career. He’s got multiple degrees.

Franco majored in English at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) after graduating from high school, but he left after his first year to pursue a career in acting. He returned to UCLA ten years later and persuaded his advisors to allow him to take more courses than he was allowed to. He ultimately took 62 credits in a quarter, which is roughly three times the allowable maximum. With a GPA of more than 3.5, he earned his English degree in two years! Writing a novel was his honor’s thesis.

He wanted more. After graduating from UCLA, he moved to New York and enrolled in filmmaking programs at NYU, fiction writing programs at Columbia, fiction writing programs at Brooklyn College, and a low-residency poetry course at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. And he’s not finished yet. His next academic pursuit was a Yale Ph.D. in English.

# 7 Steven Spielberg

After taking part in developing the movie industry for the better, and practically changed the movies by setting off the “modern blockbuster”, Spielberg seemed like the last guy you’d expect to return to school.

He enrolled in California State University, Long Beach, where he had left out in 1968 after Universal Studios offered him his dream job. To express his gratitude to his parents for providing him with educational chances, he desired to return to school. Also, because he was instilling in his own seven children the value of a college education, he decided to go back to school for another reason as well.

It’s also little known that Spielberg got three paleontology credits from Cal State in exchange for working on the popular movie Jurassic Park. Spielberg completed his film production degree; his GPA is unknown, but it was probably high. Envision taking a filmmaking course with none other than Spielberg himself.

# 8 Megan Thee Stallion

The announcement that hip-hop star Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, better known by her stage name Megan Thee Stallion, was returning to school startled her followers. Ultimately, with her successful career on the charts, why would she need to return to school? However, that’s precisely what she was doing.

She intended to get her healthcare administration degree while attending Texas Southern University. She’s also making it easier for other Black women in America to pursue their educational goals by, among other things, opening her own healthcare facility for recent graduates to work at and making a sizable donation toward a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports, and Entertainment at Long Island University (LIU).

# 9 Alexander Ludwig

One of the most well-known pretty faces in Hollywood, he had a number of little parts in major motion pictures but rose to fame in two TV shows; firstly, The Hunger Games, followed by Vikings, both of which saw their final seasons released in 2020.

Attending the University of Southern California was his choice to study theater. There, he managed to balance his personal life and acting as a member of the Phi Psi fraternity. Ludwig delighted his fans by deciding to go on performing even after graduating.

# 10 Nick Cannon

Despite having a large family and substantial wealth, Nick Cannon, a former child star who’s now a Hollywood tycoon, decided to enroll in Howard University in 2016. He earned a degree in criminology and administration of justice in 2020 from the renowned Historically Black College and University (HBCU), along with a minor in African Studies.

Conclusion

It’s imperative to emphasize the significance of a quality education. We can extend our worldviews and perspectives and acquire an incalculable amount of knowledge and abilities in a wide range of subjects by obtaining an education. Education is acknowledged by the UN as a fundamental human right. Why? Because a person with an education has more possibilities and greater prospects to better their life and place in society. The necessity for education isn’t unaffected by celebrity status. While some of them have probably achieved great success as talk show hosts, actors, or athletes, numerous returned to college to complete their degrees in their fields of study. These people show how important education is in and of itself, not simply for gaining fame and fortune.