
VIPs with degrees
There are plenty of familiar faces that have studied for degrees. Some of them will have done courses that directly relate to what they do now but others may have studied something completely different! One thing to remember is that by going into higher education, no matter what you choose to study, you will gain loads of skills that will benefit you in all aspects of your future.
Take a look at these familiar faces. Are there any that surprise you?

Benedict Cumberbatch
Actor / Drama / University of Manchester


David Attenborough
Broadcaster / Natural Sciences / University of Cambridge

Kourtney Kardashian
Entrepreneur / Theatre and Spanish / University of Arizona

Mae Jemison
Astronaut / Chemical Engineering / Stanford University

Footballer / Journalism / Universidad Politecnia de Madrid

Hannah Cockroft
Athlete / Journalism and Media / University of Coventry

Former President of the United States / Political Science / University of Chicago

Donald Glover
Actor & Musician / Dramatic Writing / New York University Tisch School of the Arts


Prince William
Member of the Royal Family / Geography / University of St Andrew’s

Mayim Bialik
Actor / Neuroscience / University of California

Jessica Ennis-Hill
Athlete / Psychology / University of Sheffield


Jacinda Arden
Prime Minister of New Zealand / Public Relations and Political Science / University of Waikato

Tyler Oakley
YouTuber / Communications / University of Michigan

David Adjaye
Architect / Architecture / London South Bank University


Louis Theroux
Journalist / History / University of Oxford

Fashion Designer / Print Fashion / Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design

Angela Merkel
Chancellor of Germany / Physics / University of Leipzig


Emma Watson
Actor / English / Brown University

Harry Hill
Comedian / Neurosurgery / University of London

J Cole
Musician / Communication and Business / St John’s University

Grace Beverley
Influencer / Music / University of Oxford

Tom Hiddleston
Actor / Classics / University of Cambridge

Fatima Manji
Journalist & Newsreader / Politics / London School of Economics

Lilly Singh
YouTuber / Psychology / York University

Will Ferrell
Actor / Sports Information / University of Southern California

Rebel Wilson
Actor / Law / University of New South Wales

John Legend
Musician / English with African American Literature / University of Pennsylvania
As you can see lots of famous faces went into higher education and they got lots of benefits from doing so. Soon we’ll see you for a Year 8 visit, and we’ll spend more time in Year 8 finding out about the 50,000+ degrees available in the UK, how higher education can help you improve your social skills, life skills and job skills.
If you want a sneak peek, click through to our Year 8 home page in the box below:
Year 8 - HE familiarisation
You're now ready to take a look at our Year 8 pages. There you'll find a lot more information about higher education and student life.
Why Study?
Why not check out our Why Study? page to find out what our students really think about their courses and about student life.
Visit the University of Manchester's Why Study? page!