Woodrow Wilson was the only president with a Ph.D.

Famous Figures

M ost U.S. presidents have attained some form of higher education, and there are a number of commanders in chief with law degrees, but only one received a Ph.D.: Woodrow Wilson. After beginning his undergraduate career at Davidson College in 1873, Wilson transferred to the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and studied political philosophy and history. He next attended the University of Virginia School of Law, though he withdrew during his second year. He managed to become a lawyer anyway, but quickly grew bored and chose to pursue a Ph.D. in history and political science instead. He did so at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, completing his doctorate in 1886.

While there, he wrote a book called Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics that was published before he graduated. Wilson's time in academia didn't end there, however. After teaching at Bryn Mawr College and Wesleyan University, he returned to his alma mater — first as a professor, and then as the 13th president of Princeton. He served in that role from 1902 to 1910, when he launched his successful bid for governor of New Jersey, and later won the 1912 presidential election with 435 electoral votes.

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By the Numbers

Percentage of the U.S. population with a Ph.D.

Wilson's class rank at Princeton (out of 167)

Electoral votes won by Wilson in the 1916 presidential election

277

Year Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize for forming the League of Nations

1919

Did you know?

Several U.S. presidents never attended college.

As impressive as Woodrow Wilson's education is, there's also something to be said for reaching the highest office in the land without ever receiving a college degree. Twelve presidents did just that, including George Washington. Washington's father died when he was 11, preventing the future president from receiving a higher education; Washington felt embarrassed by this throughout his life, though that didn't stop several colleges and universities from being named after him. The other commanders in chief who never graduated from college are James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Millard Filmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Harry Truman.