10 Well-Known Musicians Who Went To College

By Alexandra Brown on February 25, 2015

When you think about any type of well-known musician within popular culture, that would be considered an easily recognizable celebrity, a common opinion by the public is that they most likely didn’t go to college.

One reason people have this idea in their head is because they think the artist probably got discovered early on in their life and therefore never had a financial need to attend college, and get an education to start a career.

Another reason for thinking this might be that the artist got so famous so fast that they simply didn’t have time for college, much less a need for it.

While pop culture is definitely full of famous musicians and bands that never went to college, here is a list of 10 well-known artists who actually did attend college at some point.

1. Ice Cube

Rapper, actor and filmmaker Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson, Sr.), originally rising to fame as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A., and then N.W.A., eventually built a successful solo career in music and film. He’s also served as a producer for several TV shows and films.

What people don’t know, though, is that he studied architectural drafting at the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, according to this blog. In addition, he actually graduated from the yearlong program, as opposed to many artists who don’t make it through all the way.

2. Lana Del Rey

Pop star Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Woolridge Grant), who became internationally well known after her album “Born to Die” debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, actually attended Fordham University for a brief period, studying metaphysics, a branch of philosophy.

She ultimately dropped out to further her music career.

3. Common

Rapper Common (Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr.), who originally debuted in 1992 and rose to fame throughout the 1990s, studied at Florida A&M University to earn a degree in business administration before he became well-known as Common the rapper.

He attended the University under scholarship for two years but dropped out after getting signed with Relativity Records.

4. Ludacris

The well-known rapper Ludacris, who has also been featured in popular films such as “No Strings Attached,” “New Year’s Eve,” and “Fast Five,” studied music management at Georgia State University in 1998. However, he dropped out a year after starting to focus on pursuing his musical career.

5. Childish Gambino

In addition to being a well-recognized and accomplished rapper, Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) is also considered an actor, writer, comedian, producer and singer.

His big break in the acting business started when he became a writer for NBC’s comedy series “30 Rock,” and is arguably best known for his role as college student Troy Barnes on NBC’s comedy series “Community.” He also had a brief role on HBO’s “Girls” as one of Lena Dunham’s love interests.

What’s perhaps the most impressive, however, is the fact that in addition to accomplishing all of the above and more, Glover graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in dramatic writing.

6. Lady Gaga

The musical genius and internationally recognized pop star Lady Gaga (Stefanni Joanne Angelica Germanotta), who rose to prominence with her single “Just Dance” from her album “The Fame” in 2008, was also a student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts but ended up dropping out, for obvious reasons.

7. John Legend

Singer, songwriter and actor John Legend (John Roger Stephens) has won 9 Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe, and one Academy Award. Upon graduating high school, he was offered admission to Harvard University, as well as scholarships to Georgetown University and Morehouse College.

However, Legend ended up attending the University of Pennsylvania where he studied English with an emphasis on African American literature.

While at UPenn, he served as president and musical director of a jazz and pop a cappella group called Counterparts, and was also a member of two prestigious honor societies. Legend graduated from the University as well, making him all the more accomplished.

8. Carrie Underwood

Country star Carrie Underwood, who originally rose to fame after winning the fourth season of the TV show “American Idol” in 2005, is also considered a songwriter and actress. She graduated magna-cum laude from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and an emphasis in journalism.

9. Madonna

The 1980s pop princess Madonna, who is now also considered songwriter, actress and businesswoman, attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance before moving to New York City to further pursue a career in modern dance.

10. Sara Bareilles

Pop singer Sara Bareilles became mainstream with her hit single “Love Song” in 2007, and has been nominated for 5 Grammy Awards. She graduated from UCLA’s Communication Studies program in 2002.

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