Success Advice

13 Successful Billionaires Who Dropped Out Of College

Published

10 years ago

Feb 9, 2012

Joel Brown (Founder of Addicted2Success.com)

These college dropouts are great examples of flunkers who can achieve success against the odds. They prove that if you work hard then you can be successful no matter what. Even if you are from a not so rich family, even if you decide to leave college, if you have enough drive and focus you can make your dreams come true.

Read on for the full list of the 13 Successful Billionaires Who Dropped Out Of College.

The 13 College Dropouts Who Made More Than A Billion Dollars

Bill Gates

$56 Billion

Education: Dropped out of Harvard.

Success: Co-Founder of Microsoft, Major Philanthropist.

Larry Ellison

$39.5 Billion

Education: Dropped out of University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana.

Success: Founder of Oracle, A Major Software Enterprise company.

Sheldon Adelson

$23.3 Billion

Education: Dropped out of City College Of New York.

Success: Sheldon Adelson is the Chairman & CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp, the parent company of Venetian Macao Limited which operates the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo & Convention Center.

Michael Dell

$14.6 Billion

Education: Dropped out of University Of Texas, Austin.

Success: Founder of Dell Computers.

Paul Allen

$13.5 Billion

Education: Dropped out of Washington State University.

Success: Co-Founder of Microsoft, owner of Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers, Major Philanthropist.

Mark Zuckerberg

$13.5 Billion

Education: Dropped out of Harvard.

Success: Founder of Facebook. Youngest billionaire in history.

Francois Pinault

$8.7 Billion

Education: Dropped out Of Saint-Martin school, in Rennes.

Success: Owner of Converse Shoes, Samsonite Luggage. Majority shareholder of brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Puma.

Steve Jobs (R.I.P)

$8.3 Billion

Education: Dropped out of Reed College.

Success: Founder of Apple Inc & Pixar.

Jack C. Taylor

$7.4 Billion

Education: Dropped out of Washington University.

Success: Founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Micky Arison

$5.9 Billion

Education: Dropped out of University Of Miami.

Success: CEO of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator and owner of the NBA’s Miami Heat.

Ralph Lauren

$5.8 Billion

Education: Dropped out of Baruch College.

Success: Founder of Ralph Lauren Clothing.

David Geffen

$5.1 Billion

Education: Dropped out of University Of Texas, Austin.

Success: Record executive, founder of Asylum Records and one of the three founders of DreamWorks.

Ronald Wayne Burkle

$3.2 Billion

Education: Dropped out of California State Polytechnic.

Success: Supermarket magnate, Invested in Sean John (Diddy’s Clothing Line) & American Apparel.

Up Next

7 Crucial Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Pack Their Bags & Travel

Don't Miss

The Thin Line Between Cocky & Confident – Which One Are You? | 10 Steps To Confidence

Joel Brown (Founder of Addicted2Success.com)

I am the the Founder of Addicted2Success.com and I am so grateful you're here to be part of this awesome community. I love connecting with people who have a passion for Entrepreneurship, Self Development & Achieving Success. I started this website with the intention of educating and inspiring likeminded people to always strive for success no matter what their circumstances. I'm proud to say through my podcast and through this website we have impacted over 200 million lives in the last 10 years.

19 Comments

Success Advice

How to Organize Your Digital Space for the New Year

Published

12 hours ago

Jan 20, 2022

Pia De Los Reyes

Image Credit: Unsplash

Every new year brings with it a fresh start and a new set of resolutions. One new year’s resolution you can make that will help set you up for success is to maintain an organized workspace all year long. Much like you should keep your physical workspace clean and clutter free, you should also do the same for your digital work space. (more…)

Success Advice

How to Live Like a Millionaire Without Being One

Published

2 days ago

Jan 18, 2022

Vicky Oliver

Image Credit: Unsplash

You don’t have to look far to find people who seem to be living the high life. In both social and traditional media, the affluent lifestyle appears to be more the rule than the exception. While not always truthful, it’s part of the posturing that takes place in our rabidly consumer-driven society. (more…)

Success Advice

3 Ways to Overcome Impostor Syndrome

Published

3 days ago

Jan 17, 2022

Corey Blake

Image Credit: Unsplash

Imagine you’re the head of a $250 million company. Sounds great, right? Except you’re challenged with your level of success. In fact, your anxiety is so overwhelming that you walk out of an exclusive CEO event to talk to your executive coach. Without that support, you wouldn’t be able to return to a room filled with other leaders — most of whom aren’t running businesses worth nearly as much as yours. (more…)

Success Advice

4 Lessons I’ve Learned From Sending 3 Million Emails

Published

4 days ago

Jan 16, 2022

Elna Cain

Image Credit: Unsplash

As an entrepreneur, the heart of your business lies in your email marketing efforts. Sixty-four percent of small businesses use email marketing to reach their customers. Each year this percent will grow because email marketing can turn a fledgling business into the leader of the pack. What you do with those emails matters. Whether you’re a branding coach that helps newly service-based women or you’re like me – an expert content freelancer helping others learn to make a business online –at the end of your email marketing efforts, you’ll hopefully come away with lessons for improvement. I learned these lessons from sending three million emails. (more…)