List of Presidents of the United States by education - wikipedia List of Presidents of the United States by education Most Presidents of the United States received a college education, even most of the earliest. Of the first seven Presidents, five were college graduates. College degrees have set the Presidents apart from the general population, and Presidents have held such a degree even when this was quite rare indeed, as well as unnecessary, for practicing most occupations, including law. Of the forty - four individuals to have been the President, twenty - four of them graduated from a private undergraduate college, nine graduated from a public undergraduate college, and twelve held no degree. Every President since 1953 has had a bachelor 's degree, reflecting the increasing importance of higher education in the United States. Contents 1 List by degree 1.1 Did not graduate from college 1.2 J.D. ( earned ) 1.3 Ph. D. 1.4 Undergraduate 2 List by specialization 2.1 Business school 2.2 Law school 2.3 Medical school 3 List by presidents 4 Other academic associations 4.1 Faculty member 4.2 School rector or president 4.3 School trustee or governor 5 References List by degree Did not graduate from College George Washington ( The death of his father ended Washington 's formal schooling ; however, he believed strongly in formal education. In his will, he left money and / or stocks to support three educational institutions. ) James Monroe Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison ( attended college but never received a degree ) Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore ( founded the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York ) Abraham Lincoln ( had only about a year of formal schooling of any kind ) Andrew Johnson ( no formal schooling of any kind ) Grover Cleveland William McKinley ( attended Allegheny College ( did not graduate ) and Albany Law School ( did not graduate ) ) Harry S Truman ( went to business college and law school but did not receive a degree ) J.D. ( Earned ) School Location President ( s ) Duke University Law School Durham, North Carolina Richard Nixon Yale Law School New Haven, Connecticut Gerald Ford Yale Law School New Haven, Connecticut Bill Clinton Harvard Law School Cambridge, Massachusetts Barack Obama Note : Nixon and Ford were awarded LL. B. degrees. When U.S. law schools began to use the J.D. as the professional law degree in the 1960s, previous graduates had their LL. B. degrees converted to J.D. Duke University Law School made the change in 1968, and Yale Law School in 1971. Ph. D. School Location President ( s ) Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland Woodrow Wilson Undergraduate Some Presidents attended more than one institution. George Washington never attended college, though The College of William & Mary did issue him a surveyor 's certificate. Only three Presidents attended foreign colleges at the undergraduate level : John F. Kennedy at the London School of Economics and John Quincy Adams at Leiden University ( with both transferring to Harvard College ), and Bill Clinton who was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Three Presidents have attended the United States Service academies : Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, while Jimmy Carter graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. No Presidents have graduated from the much newer U.S. Air Force Academy. Eisenhower also graduated from the Command and General Staff College, Army Industrial College and Army War College. These were not degree granting institutions when Eisenhower attended, but were part of his professional education as a career soldier. School Location President ( s ) Allegheny College Meadville, Pennsylvania William McKinley ( withdrew ) Amherst College Amherst, Massachusetts Calvin Coolidge Bowdoin College Brunswick, Maine Franklin Pierce The College of William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia Thomas Jefferson James Monroe ( withdrew ) John Tyler Columbia University New York, New York Barack Obama Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina Woodrow Wilson ( transferred to Princeton University ) Dickinson College Carlisle, Pennsylvania James Buchanan Eureka College Eureka, Illinois Ronald Reagan Fordham University The Bronx, New York City Donald Trump ( transferred to University of Pennsylvania ) Georgetown University Washington, D.C. Bill Clinton Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia Jimmy Carter ( transferred to United States Naval Academy ) Georgia Southwestern State University Americus, Georgia Jimmy Carter ( transferred to Georgia Institute of Technology ) Hampden -- Sydney College Hampden Sydney, Virginia William Henry Harrison ( withdrew ) Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts John Adams John Quincy Adams Theodore Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt John F. Kennedy ( transferred from Princeton University ) Hiram College Hiram, Ohio James A. Garfield ( transferred to Williams College ) Kenyon College Gambier, Ohio Rutherford B. Hayes London School of Economics London, United Kingdom John F. Kennedy ( transferred to Princeton University ) Miami University Oxford, Ohio Benjamin Harrison Mount Union College Alliance, Ohio William McKinley ( withdrew ) Occidental College Los Angeles, California Barack Obama ( transferred to Columbia University ) Ohio Central College Iberia, Ohio Warren G. Harding Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey John F. Kennedy ( transferred to Harvard University ) James Madison Woodrow Wilson University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania William Henry Harrison ( withdrew ) Donald Trump Texas State University San Marcos, Texas Lyndon B. Johnson Spalding 's Commercial College ( Kansas City, Missouri ) Kansas City, Missouri Harry S. Truman ( Withdrew ) Stanford University Stanford, California Herbert Hoover Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands John Quincy Adams ( transferred to Harvard University ) Union College Schenectady, New York Chester A. Arthur University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Gerald Ford University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina James K. Polk United States Military Academy West Point, New York Ulysses S. Grant Dwight D. Eisenhower United States Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Dwight D. Eisenhower United States Army Industrial College Washington, D.C. Dwight D. Eisenhower United States Army War College Carlisle, Pennsylvania Dwight D. Eisenhower United States Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland Jimmy Carter Whittier College Whittier, California Richard Nixon Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts James A. Garfield Yale University New Haven, Connecticut William Howard Taft George H.W. Bush George W. Bush List by specialization Business school School Location President ( s ) Harvard Business School Boston, Massachusetts George W. Bush ( MBA ) Stanford Graduate School of Business Stanford, California John F. Kennedy ( withdrew ) The Wharton School Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Donald Trump ( BS ) Law School School Location President ( s ) Albany Law School Albany, New York William McKinley ( withdrew ) Columbia Law School New York, New York Theodore Roosevelt ( withdrew ) ( awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1882 ) Franklin D. Roosevelt ( withdrew ) ( awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1907 ) Duke University School of Law Durham, North Carolina Richard Nixon Georgetown University Law Center Washington, D.C. Lyndon B. Johnson ( withdrew ) Harvard Law School Cambridge, Massachusetts Rutherford B. Hayes Barack Obama University of Michigan Law School Ann Arbor, Michigan Gerald Ford ( transferred ) Northampton Law School Northampton, Massachusetts Franklin Pierce ( did not graduate ) State and National Law School Ballston Spa, New York Chester A. Arthur ( did not graduate ) University of Cincinnati College of Law Cincinnati, Ohio William Howard Taft University of Kansas City School of Law Kansas City, Missouri Harry S. Truman ( withdrew ) University of Virginia School of Law Charlottesville, Virginia Woodrow Wilson ( withdrew ) Yale Law School New Haven, Connecticut Gerald Ford Bill Clinton Several Presidents who were lawyers did not attend law school, but became lawyers after independent study. Some had attended college before beginning their legal studies, and several studied law without first having attended college. It was customary to study under established lawyers. Presidents who were lawyers but did not attend law school include : John Adams ; Thomas Jefferson ; James Madison ; James Monroe ; John Quincy Adams ; Andrew Jackson ; Martin Van Buren ; John Tyler ; James K. Polk ; Millard Fillmore ; James Buchanan ; Abraham Lincoln ; James A. Garfield ; Grover Cleveland ; Benjamin Harrison ; and Calvin Coolidge. Presidents who were admitted to the bar after a combination of law school and independent study include ; Franklin Pierce ; Chester A. Arthur ; William McKinley ; and Woodrow Wilson. Medical school School Location President ( s ) University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania William Henry Harrison ( withdrew ) List by presidents President High school or equivalent Undergraduate school Graduate school George Washington Lower Church School did not attend college none John Adams Braintree Latin School Harvard University none Thomas Jefferson James Maury 's School The College of William and Mary none James Madison Donald Robertson 's School Princeton University none James Monroe Campbelltown Academy The College of William and Mary ( did not graduate ) none John Quincy Adams Passy Academy Leiden University ( transferred ) Harvard University none Andrew Jackson William Humphries ' Academy James White Stephenson 's Academy none none Martin Van Buren Kinderhook Academy Washington Seminary none none William Henry Harrison Millfield Academy Hampden -- Sydney College ( withdrew ) University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine ( withdrew ) John Tyler College of William and Mary Preparatory School The College of William and Mary none James K. Polk Zion Presbyterian Church Academy Bradley Academy University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill none Zachary Taylor Kean O'Hara's Academy none none Millard Fillmore New Hope Academy none none Franklin Pierce Phillips Exeter Academy Bowdoin College Northampton Law School James Buchanan Old Stone Academy Dickinson College none Abraham Lincoln none none none Andrew Johnson none none none Ulysses S. Grant Maysville Academy United States Military Academy none Rutherford B. Hayes Norwalk Seminary The Webb School Kenyon College Harvard Law School James Garfield Geauga Seminary Hiram College ( transferred ) Williams College none Chester A. Arthur Schenectady Lyceum and Academy Union College State and National Law School ( did not graduate ) Grover Cleveland Clinton Academy none none Benjamin Harrison Farmers ' College Miami University none William McKinley Poland Academy Allegheny College ( withdrew ) Mount Union College ( withdrew ) Albany Law School ( withdrew ) Theodore Roosevelt none Harvard University Columbia Law School ( withdrew ) ( awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1882 ) William Howard Taft Woodward High School Yale University University of Cincinnati College of Law Woodrow Wilson none Davidson College ( transferred ) Princeton University University of Virginia School of Law ( withdrew ) Johns Hopkins University ( Ph. D. ) Warren G. Harding Caledonia High School Ohio Central College none Calvin Coolidge Black River Academy St. Johnsbury Academy Amherst College none Herbert Hoover Did not attend high school Stanford University none Franklin D. Roosevelt Groton School Harvard University Columbia Law School ( withdrew ) ( awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1907 ) Harry S. Truman Independence High School Spalding 's Commercial College ( withdrew ) University of Kansas City School of Law ( withdrew ) Dwight D. Eisenhower Abilene High School U.S. Military Academy ( West Point ) United States Army Command and General Staff College United States Army Industrial College United States Army War College John F. Kennedy The Choate School London School of Economics ( General Course Program ) Princeton University ( transferred ) Harvard University Stanford Graduate School of Business ( withdrew ) Lyndon B. Johnson Johnson City High School Southwest Texas State College ( now Texas State University ) Georgetown University Law Center ( withdrew ) Richard Nixon Whittier High School Whittier College Duke University School of Law Gerald Ford Grand Rapids South High School University of Michigan Yale Law School Jimmy Carter Plains High School Georgia Southwestern College ( transferred ) Georgia Institute of Technology ( transferred ) U.S. Naval Academy Union College ( Postgraduate Nuclear Physics Course Program ) Ronald Reagan Dixon High School Eureka College none George H.W. Bush Phillips Academy Yale University none Bill Clinton Hot Springs High School Georgetown University University of Oxford ( Rhodes Scholar ; withdrew ) Yale Law School George W. Bush Phillips Academy Yale University Harvard Business School Barack Obama Punahou School Occidental College ( transferred ) Columbia University Harvard Law School Donald Trump New York Military Academy Fordham University ( transferred ) Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania None Other academic associations Faculty member President ( s ) School Position Years James A. Garfield Hiram College Professor of Latin, Greek, Mathematics, History, Philosophy, Rhetoric and English literature 1857 -- 1861 William Howard Taft University of Cincinnati College of Law Dean 1896 -- 1900 William Howard Taft Yale Law School Kent Professor of Law 1913 -- 1921 William Howard Taft Boston University School of Law Lecturer on Legal Ethics 1918 -- 1921 Woodrow Wilson Bryn Mawr College Professor of Politics and History 1885 -- 1888 Woodrow Wilson Wesleyan University Professor of Politics 1888 -- 1890 Woodrow Wilson Princeton University Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Economy, President 1902 -- 1910 Harry S. Truman Yale University Chubb Fellow Visiting Lecturer 1958 Harry S. Truman Canisius College Visiting Lecturer 1962 Richard Nixon Whittier College Adjunct lecturer, taught undergraduate legal studies class 1937 -- 1942 Jimmy Carter Emory University University Distinguished Professor 1982 -- Present George H.W. Bush Rice University Part - Time Professor of Administrative Science 1978 Bill Clinton University of Arkansas Assistant Professor of Law 1973 -- 1977 Barack Obama University of Chicago Law School Senior Lecturer 1992 -- 2004 School rector or president President ( s ) School Position Years Thomas Jefferson University of Virginia 1st Rector 1819 -- 1826 James Madison University of Virginia 2nd Rector 1826 -- 1836 James A. Garfield Hiram College President 1857 -- 1860 Millard Fillmore University of Buffalo Chancellor 1846 -- 1874 Woodrow Wilson Princeton University President 1902 -- 1910 Dwight D. Eisenhower Columbia University President 1948 -- 1953 School trustee or governor President ( s ) School Position Years George Washington College of William and Mary Chancellor 1788 -- 1799 George Washington Washington College Allowed use of his name, Benefactor, Board of Governors 1782 - 1799 George Washington Washington and Lee University Benefactor 1796 Thomas Jefferson University of Virginia Board of Visitors 1819 -- 1826 James Madison University of Virginia Board of Visitors 1819 -- 1836 James Madison Madison College ( Pennsylvania ) Allowed use of his name, Benefactor ( contributed funds - $2000 in 1827 dollars - towards founding ) 1827 James Monroe University of Virginia Board of Visitors 1826 -- 1831 John Quincy Adams Harvard University Board of Overseers 1830 -- 1848 Andrew Jackson University of Nashville Board of Trustees 1806 -- 1845 Martin Van Buren University of the State of New York Board of Regents 1816 -- 1829 John Tyler College of William and Mary Chancellor 1859 -- 1862 Millard Fillmore University at Buffalo Chancellor 1846 -- 1874 Franklin Pierce Norwich University Board of Trustees 1841 -- 1859 James Buchanan Franklin & Marshall College President, Board of Trustees 1853 -- 1865 Rutherford B. Hayes The Ohio State University Board of Trustees 1881 -- 1893 Rutherford B. Hayes Western Reserve University Chairman of the Board of Trustees 1881 -- 1893 Rutherford B. Hayes Ohio Wesleyan University Board of Trustees 1884 -- 1893 James A. Garfield Hiram College Board of Trustees 1866 -- 1881 James A. Garfield Hampton University Board of Trustees 1877 -- 1881 Benjamin Harrison Purdue University Board of Trustees 1895 -- 1901 Grover Cleveland Princeton University Board of Trustees 1901 -- 1908 William McKinley American University Board of Trustees 1899 -- 1901 Theodore Roosevelt American University Board of Trustees 1900 -- 1919 Theodore Roosevelt Harvard University Board of Overseers 1895 -- 1901, 1915 -- 1916 William Howard Taft Yale University Member of the Yale Corporation 1901 -- 1913 William Howard Taft Hampton University Board of Trustees 1909 -- 1930 Warren G. Harding American University Board of Trustees 1921 -- 1923 Calvin Coolidge Amherst College Board of Trustees ( life member ) 1921 -- 1933 Herbert Hoover Stanford University Board of Trustees 1923 -- 1960 Herbert Hoover American University Board of Trustees 1945 -- 1950 Franklin D. Roosevelt Harvard University Board of Overseers 1917 -- 1923 Franklin D. Roosevelt Vassar College Board of Trustees 1923 -- 1945 Dwight Eisenhower Eisenhower College Namesake, fundraiser 1965 -- 1969 John F. Kennedy Harvard University Board of Overseers 1957 -- 1958 Jimmy Carter Mercer University Board of Trustees 2012 -- present Ronald Reagan Eureka College Board of Trustees 1947 -- 1953, 1967 -- 1973, 1974 -- 1980. References Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 11 - 01. Retrieved 2008 - 11 - 11. Jump up ^ Gellman, Irwin F. ( 2017 ). The Contender : Richard Nixon, the Congress Years, 1946 -- 1952. New Haven, CT : Yale University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978 - 0 - 300 - 22020 - 9. Jump up ^ `` Gerald R. Ford Biography ''. Fordlibrarymuseum.gov/. Grand rapids, MI : Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved November 28, 2017. Jump up ^ Bear, John ( 2001 ). Bear 's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning. Berkeley, California : Ten Speed Press. p. 257. ISBN 978 - 1 - 58008 - 202 - 0. Jump up ^ Bolich, W. Bryan ( 1968 ). Duke Law School 1868 -- 1968 : A Sketch ( PDF ). Durham, NC : Duke University Law School. p. xxiv. Jump up ^ Mwenda, Kenneth Kaoma ( 2007 ). Comparing American and British Legal Education Systems. Youngstown, NY : Cambria Press. p. 14. ISBN 978 - 1 - 934 - 043 - 51 - 6. Jump up ^ abrahamlincolnonline.org Jump up ^ Johnston, J. Stoddard ( 1913 ). `` Sketch of Theodore O'Hara ''. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Frankfort, KY : State Journal Company. p. 67. Jump up ^ New York Sun, Presidents Roosevelt Honored With Posthumous Columbia Degrees, September 26, 2008 Jump up ^ Columbia Law School, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt to Receive Posthumous Law Degrees from Columbia Law School, September 25, 2008 Jump up ^ Joseph Nathan Kane, Facts About the Presidents ( New York : Simon & Schuster ( Pocket Books ), 1968 ( 5th printing ) ), 194. Jump up ^ UC.edu Archived 2006 - 04 - 28 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` BU School of Law Timeline ''. Boston University. Retrieved 16 January 2014. ^ Jump up to : Biography of Wilson on Princeton Web. Jump up ^ Robert H. Ferrell, Farewell to the Chief : Former Presidents in American Public Life, 1991, page 52 Jump up ^ U.S. Government Printing Office, Congressional Record, Volume 108, Part 4, 1962, page 5168 Jump up ^ Kaczynski, Andrew ; Apper, Megan ( February 2, 2015 ). `` Here 's Bill Clinton 's Personnel File From His Time As An Arkansas College Professor ''. buzzfeed.com/. New York, NY : Buzzfeed.com. Jump up ^ Media Inquiries, University of Chicago Law School Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2013 - 01 - 03. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 17. Jump up ^ Reynolds, G.T. ( 1902 ). `` Madison College ''. In Haskins, Charles Homer ; Hull, William Isaac. A History of Higher Education in Pennsylvania. Government Printing Office. pp. 155 -- 7. Jump up ^ University of Nashville Board of Trustees ( 1892 ). The University of Nashville, 1785 to 1892. Nashville, TN : Marshall & Bruce. p. 5. Note : In 1791, Jackson was appointed to the board of trustees of Davidson Academy. Jackson continued on the board when the school was reorganized as Cumberland College in 1806. In 1826, Cumberland College was reincorporated as the University of Nashville, and Jackson remained a member of the board of trustees until his death. 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Question: who is the only president that has a ph.d
Answer: Woodrow Wilson