Colleges that children of 12 US presidents went to: From Barron Trump in NYU to Malia Obama at Harvard

Choosing where to go to college is a big deal for any teenager, but imagine making that decision with the entire world watching your every move. That’s the reality for the children of US presidents. When Donald Trump's youngest child Barron finally announced where he’d be attending college, it was like a mini-celebrity event. Unlike his older siblings who followed in their dad’s footsteps by attending the University of Pennsylvania, Barron decided to shake things up a bit. He’s heading to New York University (NYU) this year, and let’s be real, at $72,080 a year as a commuter student, it’s not a choice anyone’s taking lightly. But Barron isn’t the first presidential kid to have their college choice put under a microscope. Let's find out where the children of the last 12 US presidents have attended college.

1. Ashley Biden, Hunter Biden and Beau Biden

Joe Biden’s kids have a strong educational background. Hunter Biden, the president’s only surviving son, started at Georgetown University for his undergrad before heading to Yale Law School. He graduated from Yale in 1996. Then there’s Joe’s daughter Ashley Biden who took a different path. She got her degree in cultural anthropology from Tulane University. Later, she added a master’s in social work from the University of Pennsylvania to her resume. It’s worth mentioning Biden's other son, Beau, who unfortunately passed away in 2015. Beau also had quite the academic prowess, attending the University of Pennsylvania for his undergrad before moving on to Syracuse University’s College of Law for his law degree.

2. Barron Trump, Tiffany Trump, Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr

When you think of the Trump family, you probably think of business, real estate, and yes, the University of Pennsylvania. Donald Trump’s three oldest kids—Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Tiffany—all graduated from their dad’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. Donald Jr. and Ivanka even took it up a notch by enrolling in the Wharton School of Finance at Penn. Tiffany, on the other hand, went on a slightly different route, earning her degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Then there’s Eric Trump, the outlier of the bunch, who decided to attend Georgetown University for undergrad and earned a degree in finance. Interestingly, Ivanka also started her college career at Georgetown but later transferred to Penn, following the family tradition. Tiffany later joined Eric at Georgetown for law school, where she graduated in 2020. And now, breaking with family tradition, Barron Trump is starting his freshman year at NYU.

3. Malia Obama and Sasha Obama

The Obama sisters have been in the spotlight for pretty much their entire lives, so it’s no surprise that their college choices were big news. Malia Obama, the older of the two, decided to take a gap year after high school in 2016. After that little breather, she headed off to Harvard University, where she graduated in 2021 with a degree in visual and environmental studies. And if that wasn’t cool enough, she’s already made her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Sasha Obama, the younger sister, initially started her college journey at the University of Michigan in 2019. But she later transferred to the University of Southern California (USC), where she graduated in 2023 with a degree in sociology.

4. Jenna Bush and Barbara Bush

The Bush twins, Jenna and Barbara, have had their fair share of the limelight too. George W Bush’s daughters attended the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, respectively. Imagine graduating during an election year like they did in 2004—talk about pressure. Their parents actually skipped their graduations due to security concerns, which is understandable when your father is running for re-election. Barbara followed in her dad’s footsteps by attending Yale, where she graduated with a humanities degree. Jenna, on the other hand, opted for an English degree from UT Austin.

5. Chelsea Clinton

Chelsea Clinton, the only child of Bill and Hillary Clinton, has an academic record that’s as impressive as her parents’. She made the cross-country move from the White House to Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, during her father’s second term. After wrapping up her undergraduate studies, Chelsea decided to go study abroad by earning a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Oxford in London. But she didn’t stop there. Chelsea also earned another master’s in public health from Columbia University in New York City.

6. George Bush, Jeb Bush, Neil Bush, Marvin Bush and Dorothy Bush

George H W Bush’s children all went to different colleges, each pursuing their own unique interests. The eldest son, George W Bush, followed in his dad’s footsteps by attending Yale. During his time there, he was a member of the cheerleading team and part of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. After graduating with a history degree in 1968, George W Bush attended Harvard Business School and earned an MBA, making him the only US president with that degree. His brother Jeb Bush went to the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with a degree in Latin studies. Neil Bush attended Tulane University for both undergrad and grad school, while Marvin Bush graduated from the University of Virginia. Dorothy, the only daughter, took a different route by attending Boston College.

7. Michael Reagan, Maureen Reagan, Patti Davis and Ron Reagan

When it comes to Ronald Reagan’s kids, college wasn’t exactly the be-all and end-all. None of Reagan’s four children ended up graduating from college, though they all attended at some point. Reagan’s oldest daughter, Maureen, whom he shared with his first wife, Jane Wyman, attended Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, but didn’t graduate. Maureen passed away in 2001. Michael Reagan, who was adopted by Reagan and Wyman, tried out Arizona State University and Los Angeles Valley College but didn’t earn a degree from either. Patti Davis, the first child of Reagan and his second wife, Nancy, attended both Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. Despite attending two top schools, Patti didn’t graduate from either one. The youngest of the bunch, Ron Reagan, also started at Yale but left before finishing his degree. Clearly, the Reagan kids had different priorities.

8. Jack Carter, Jeff Carter, Amy Carter and Chip Carter

Jimmy Carter’s oldest son, Jack, graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in nuclear physics. Afterward, Jack went to the University of Georgia for law school. Donnel, better known as Jeff, graduated from George Washington University with a degree in geography. Then there’s Amy Carter, the youngest, who attended Brown University for her undergrad degree. Afterward, she moved to New Orleans to get a master’s in art history from Tulane University. Carter’s second-oldest son Chip decided that college wasn’t for him and chose to work for the family’s peanut business instead.

9. Jack Ford, Susan Ford, Steven Ford and Michael Ford

Gerald Ford’s eldest son Michael is the one who completed his degree, graduating from Wake Forest University in 1972. Michael later returned to work at the university, where he stayed for 36 years before retiring in 2017. The two younger Ford brothers, Jack and Steven, had different paths. Jack attended Utah State University and worked as a park ranger during the summers, but didn’t end up graduating. Steven skipped college altogether and instead worked as a ranch hand before finding fame as an actor. He even starred in the soap opera 'The Young and the Restless'. Susan Ford, the only daughter, attended Mount Vernon College to study photojournalism but decided to leave early to pursue her career.

10. Tricia Nixon and Julie Nixon

Richard Nixon’s two daughters, Tricia and Julie, took different routes when it came to college. Tricia Nixon graduated from Finch College, a now-defunct women’s college in New York City. Her sister, Julie, went to Smith College, though her college experience wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Julie didn’t even attend her graduation because of threats of protests. In fact, she later described her time at Smith as "hell on Earth," according to the Los Angeles Times. It's worth noting that both daughters pursued higher education during a particularly turbulent time in their father’s presidency.

11. Luci Nugent and Lynda Robb

Lyndon B Johnson’s daughters had their own unique college experiences. Lynda, the elder daughter, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Fun fact: she lived in the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house, complete with Secret Service agents in tow. Luci, the younger daughter, started her college career at Georgetown University’s nursing school but had to drop out when she got married. Back then, Georgetown required all nursing students to be single women—a rule that seems archaic now. But Luci didn’t let that stop her. She went back to college at age 49 and earned a communications degree from St Edward’s University in 1998, graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She said she did it to "put a lifetime of feeling inferior behind me" and that she was doing it for herself.

12. John F Kennedy Jr and Caroline Kennedy

John F Kennedy’s children also had some impressive academic achievements. His only surviving child, Caroline Kennedy, graduated from Harvard University—though technically, it was from Radcliffe College, which was an all-female college within Harvard. She later went on to earn a law degree from Columbia Law School. Then there was John F Kennedy Jr, who tragically died in 1999. He graduated from Brown University and later earned his law degree from New York University, according to Business Insider.