- There are many stories about prominent college dropouts who later became billionaires, but fewer about ultra-wealthy people who dropped out of high school before making their fortunes.
- Billionaires who found fame and wealth after dropping out are in industries including fashion, tech, and music.
- Jay-Z, hip-hop's first billionaire, never graduated from high school. The rapper does, however, publicly encourage people to value education.
- Virgin Group founder Richard Branson quit school at 16. Soon after dropping out, he started his first company, which later became Virgin Records.
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Entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and rapper Jay-Z have two things in common: Both are wildly successful billionaires, and both never graduated from high school.
But they aren't the only billionaires who never picked up a high school diploma. While a number of prominent college dropouts later became ultra-wealthy - particularly tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates - it's generally rarer for high school dropouts to become among the richest people in the world. But still, it does happen from time to time.
Keep reading to learn more about five of the most prominent billionaires who also happen to be high school dropouts.
