Society seems to be obsessed with rich people. We seek their advice, study their habits, and replicate their wealth-building strategies.
But the richest of the rich have more in common than a risk-taking attitude and an early morning routine.
Wealth-X, a firm that does research and valuations on ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals, recently revealed where the world's wealthiest people - those with assets exceeding $30 million - went to college.
Counting alumni with both undergraduate and graduate degrees and leaving out those with diplomas, certificates, honorary degrees, and drop outs, Wealth-X determined which alma maters the world's richest people share.
Harvard University is the former stomping ground to 1,906 millionaires and billionaires, which together command a net worth of $811 billion, more than twice that of the No. 2 school, University of Pennsylvania.
All together, five colleges with the richest alumni are public universities, six are Ivy League, and only one is located outside of the US. Though a degree from one of these schools won't guarantee wealth, the odds may be in your favor if history is any indication.
Check out the schools with the most millionaire and billionaire alumni in the chart below:
Skye Gould/Business Insider
A few more insights from the Wealth-X report:
- Stanford UHNW alumni have the highest average net worth of $263 million
- Harvard has the most living billionaire alumni with 131 - a combined fortune of $528 billion
- The majority of UHNW alumni are men, ranging from 88% at Boston University to 96% at MIT and University of Notre Dame
- The majority of UHNW alumni are self-made, with the highest percentage (83%) coming from University of Virginia