General Knowledge: Who Was The Most Educated US President? – News18

Last Updated:January 22, 2025, 08:05 IST

The 28th US President who led the country through World War 1 is widely considered to be the most-educated occupant of the Oval Office, holding a PhD

With Donald Trump taking oath as the US President for the second time, there is renewed interest in his educational qualifications. As per public records, Trump attended Fordham University in the Bronx for two years, from 1964 to 1966. He then transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his undergraduate studies. He graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.

Before college, Trump attended the New York Military Academy, a private boarding school, from 1959 to 1964, where he finished his high school education.

But do you know who was the most educated US President? That honour belongs to Woodrow Wilson, who led the US through the First World War (1914-1918) as the 28th US President from 1913 to 1921. Wilson graduated from Princeton University and the University of Virginia Law School, and is the only US President who had a PhD.

Wilson’s predecessor William Howard Taft was also well-educated. Taft served as the 27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913. He graduated from Yale University and subsequently pursued law at Cincinnati Law School. Upon completing his Bachelor of Law in 1880, he embarked on a legal career.

Franklin Pierce, the 14th US President of America from 1853 to 1857, completed his BA from Bowdoin College. After that, he studied for an LLB from Northampton Law School.

Rutherford B Hayes, the 19th US President, was also considered to be well-educated. Hayes was the President from 1877 to 1881. His early education was in Ohio. After that, he completed BA from Kenyon College and did an LLB from Harvard University.

Among US Presidents of the modern era, Bill Clinton did his BSc from Georgetown University and then got a Rhodes Scholarship, through which he went to study at the University of Oxford. Clinton initially studied for a BPhil, which was transferred to a BLitt in Politics.