Where Did Fortune 500 CEOs Go To College?

Many individuals across a variety of industries look to Fortune 500 companies for inspiration.

There is plenty of inspiration to be had from where a Fortune 500 CEO is now.

Nevertheless, there’s also valuable knowledge to gain from learning where they started—especially when hiring a new CEO.

In other words, the question to ask is this: Where did Fortune 500 CEOs go to college?

You might be surprised at the insight you get from looking at Fortune 500 CEOs by college!

To find out the answer to this question, we did some digging.

Below, we’ve made an infographic that covers the first 24 Fortune 500 CEOs by their college.

Keep reading to check out the full list of the top 38 colleges in the United States with the most alumni in Fortune 500 CEO positions!

Where Did Fortune 500 CEOs Go to College?

1. Harvard University – Cambridge, MA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 25
Number of Degrees: 31
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $1,548.3

(Harvard has 4x the number of Fortune 500 CEO’s compared to Yale.) Click to tweet this.

2. Stanford University – Palo Alto, CA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 11
Number of Degrees: 13
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $492.5

3. University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 8
Number of Degrees: 9
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $405.4

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, MA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 7
Number of Degrees: 8
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $428.5

5. Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 6
Number of Degrees: 8
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $375.3

6. University of Chicago – Chicago, IL

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 6
Number of Degrees: 7
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $489.9

7. Northwestern University – Evanston, IL

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 6
Number of Degrees: 7
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $323.7

8. Columbia University – New York, NY

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 6
Number of Degrees: 6
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $545.7

9. Yale University – New Haven, CT

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 6
Number of Degrees: 6
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $330.5

10. Southern Methodist University – Dallas, TX

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 4
Number of Degrees: 5
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $575.3

11. University of Southern California – Los Angeles, CA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 4
Number of Degrees: 4
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $704

12. New York University – New York, NY

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 4
Number of Degrees: 4
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $327.1

13. Texas A&M University – College Station, TX

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 3
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $237.8

14. Princeton University – Princeton, NJ

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 3
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $218.7

15. University of Notre Dame – South Bend, IN

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 3
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $177.8

16. San Diego State University – San Diego, CA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 3
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $161.6

17. Pennsylvania State University – State College, PA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 3
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $160.4

18. Purdue University – West Lafayette, IN

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 3
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $135.4

19. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MI

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 3
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $113.3

20. University of Kansas – Lawrence, KS

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $231.1

21. Georgetown University – Washington, D.C.

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $162.2

22. University of Cincinnati – Cincinnati, OH

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 3
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $89.6

23. Babson College – Babson Park, MA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $335

24. Duke University – Durham, NC

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $218.2

25. University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, MN

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $213.7

26. Brown University – Providence, RI

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $207.7

27. University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $188.3

28. Clark University – Worcester, MA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $174.5

29. University of Oklahoma – Norman, OK

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $173

30. Tufts University – Medford, MA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $147.7

31. University of San Diego – San Diego, CA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $142.2

32. University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $119.1

33. University of North Carolina at Charlotte – Charlotte, NC

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $112.2

34. University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, CA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $98.3

35. University of Colorado Boulder – Boulder, CO

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $96

36. Wayne State University – Detroit, MI

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $67.4

37. Boston College – Boston, MA

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $66.6

38. University of Houston – Houston, TX

Number of Fortune 500 CEOs: 2
Number of Degrees: 2
Combined Gross Annual Revenue (in billions): $63.4

---

Y Scouts is an executive search firm that helps nonprofits and social enterprises find exceptional leaders. Contact us if you are looking to find an exceptional leader. To be considered for exceptional leadership opportunities with our clients, please take the first step by joining the Y Scouts Leadership Community.