Top 10 richest people in the world (September 2025): Forbes has dropped its September 2025 edition of the world’s richest people—and it’s Elon Musk once again at the top, flaunting a jaw-dropping net worth of $415.6 billion. The top 10 is dominated by American business moguls, with not a single woman making the cut in the top 10. From tech titans to luxury giants, the list indeed reflects wealth and influence, however, here we will focus on their alma mater, which shaped who they are today.
Starting with the brain behind Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, the CEO, completed his education at Queen’s University, Canada. Later, he went to the United States to study business and physics at the University of Pennsylvania. Musk pursued higher education at Stanford University in California to earn a PhD in energy physics.
(Photo: Pool via AP)
The University of Pennsylvania ranked 11 under the QS World University Rankings 2025, while Stanford University ranked 6 in the same world ranking list.
Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison is chairman, chief technology officer and co-founder of Oracle. Before joining the tech position, he was the CEO of the company till 2014. He has dropped out of two universities, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. In 2024, he was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
Oracle was founded by Larry Ellison in 1977. (Screenshot: Oracle)
Despite not earning a degree from two of the top colleges, Larry co-founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977, which eventually became the multinational Oracle Corporation. He is indeed an example of a successful dropout who went on to carve his own path. Chicago University ranked 21 in the QS World University Rankings 2025, while Illinois University ranked 69.
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg enrolled at Harvard University; however, he dropped out after two years. After leaving university, he experimented with an entrepreneurial career to pursue his goals, and today he is one of the richest people in the world.
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(Photo: Jim Wilson/The New York Times)
He had received several prizes in mathematics, astronomy, physics, and classical studies. The University ranked fourth in the QS World University Rankings 2025.
Jeff Bezos
Founder and executive chairman of Amazon, Bezos did his graduation from Princeton University with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Apart from an engineering degree, he tried to study psychology and computer science at Harvard University, but left in his second year to work on Facebook.
Jeff Bezos (Source: File)
Princeton University ranked 22 in the QS World University Rankings 2025.
Larry Page
Page has completed his graduation at the University of Michigan in computer engineering and his master’s from Stanford University in computer science. The Michigan-based University ranked 44 in the QS World University Rankings.
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Page holds prestigious honours as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His contributions to communications and information technology earned him the esteemed Marconi Prize — an award that celebrates innovations driving global social, economic, and cultural progress.
Sergey Brin
Brin graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a science degree with honours in mathematics and computer science. It ranked 218 in the QS World University Rankings.
(Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Sergey is currently on leave from Stanford University’s PhD programme in computer science, where he previously earned his master’s degree. His academic journey is marked by distinction — he’s a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship and holds an honorary MBA from Instituto de Empresa.
Bernard Arnault & family
Bernard Arnault holds the LVMH empire and other cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora. He has completed his graduation in Bachelor of Arts and Science at Ecole Polytechnique de Paris. The Institute ranked 34 in the QS World University Rankings.
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Bernard Arnault, billionaire and chief executive officer of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. (Bloomberg/File)
Steve Ballmer
Ballmer graduated from Harvard University in applied mathematics and economics, followed by a degree in Business Administration and Management from Stanford University.
Jensen Huang
The founder and CEO of NVIDIA has completed his higher education in electrical engineering at Oregon State University and Stanford University. The University was in a rank band of 641-650 in the QS World University Rankings.
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Warren Buffett
Buffett studied business at the University of Nebraska and went on to Columbia University to study economics. The Nebraska-University was in the rank band of 701-710, while in the same ranking, Columbia-based University ranked 34.
It seems Harvard University and Stanford University remain the top choice of billionaires according to the Forbes list.
