The 10 universities with the most current US senators among their graduates
Cory Booker attended Stanford University and Yale University.
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US senators have attended a variety of schools, from Harvard and Yale to BYU. See which schools are represented the most in the current Senate.
- Some US colleges have numerous alums who went on to prolific political careers in the Senate.
- Many of the colleges listed are Ivy League or have extremely low acceptance rates.
- Harvard University tops the list, with 13 current senators among its alums.
US senators come from all sorts of different educational backgrounds.
Some graduated from the US Naval Academy or smaller private schools, but 42 of the 100 US senators came from 10 prominent universities, according to biographies on the US Senate website.
Harvard University, the oldest college in the country and one of the hardest to get into, boasts the largest number of current senators among its alums.
The senators on this list are alums of the schools' undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, law, or medical programs, and some have graduated from multiple of the listed universities. Honorary degrees and schools a senator attended without graduating were excluded.
Here's a look at which US colleges have produced the most current senators.
Brigham Young University
BYU had a 70.2% acceptance rate for its current freshman class.
George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Senators: Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Lee (R-UT), and John Curtis (R-UT).
Sen. Crapo graduated from BYU in Utah with a bachelor's degree in political science, as did Sen. Lee.
Sen. Curtis earned a bachelor's degree in business management.
Duke University
DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 26: A general view of the Duke University Chapel on campus of Duke University on October 26, 2013 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Lance King/Getty Images
Senators: Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Rand Paul (R-KY).
Sen. Alsobrooks studied public policy, Sen. Moore Capito studied zoology, and Sen. Paul received a medical degree.
Princeton University
Student walk along the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. (Photo by Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images)
Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images
Senators: Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
Princeton is an Ivy League university.
Sen. Cruz earned a bachelor's degree in public policy, Sen. McCormick earned a Ph.D. in international relations, and Sen. Merkley earned a master's degree in public affairs.
Dartmouth College
Baker-Berry Library on the campus of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S., on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Dartmouth Colleges endowment returned 47% in the fiscal year that ended in June, the latest university to post some of the strongest investment gains in decades.
Bloomberg/Getty Images
Senators: Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
Dartmouth is the smallest Ivy League school by undergraduate enrollment.
Sen. King earned a bachelor's degree in government, Sen. Hoeven earned a bachelor's degree in economics, and Sen. Smith earned an MBA from the university's Tuck School of Business.
Sen. Gillibrand graduated with a bachelor's degree in Asian studies.
University of Chicago
Cobb Gate at the University of Chicago campus in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Tuesday May 27, 2025. Chicago universities produce legions of science and technology workers, and the city is poised to benefit from growth of nascent industries such as quantum computing. Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg/Getty Images
Senators: Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Todd Young (R-IN).
The University of Chicago's five Senate alums span the political spectrum, from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders to Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.
Both Sen. Sanders and Sen. Kim earned a bachelor's degree in political science.
Sen. Ricketts graduated with both a bachelor's degree in biology and an MBA. Sen. Young also earned an MBA, while Sen. Klobuchar earned a law degree.
University of Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 01: An aerial view of the central grounds on campus at the University of Virginia on March 1, 2013 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Lance King/Getty Images
Senators: Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Kennedy (R-LA), Angus King (I-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University of Virginia has a graduate-heavy Senate alum base: Sen. Cornyn, Sen. Kennedy, Sen. King, and Sen. Whitehouse earned law degrees there.
Sen. Moore Capito earned a master's degree in education.
Stanford University
PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: A general view of the campus of Stanford University including Hoover Tower as seen from Stanford Stadium on the day of the ACC college football game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on September 26, 2026 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
David Madison/Getty Images
Senators: Cory Booker (D-NJ), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Sen. Booker, Sen. Schiff, and Sen. Smith all earned bachelor's degrees in political science. Sen. Booker also earned a master's in sociology.
Sen. Hawley earned a bachelor's in history, and Sen. Merkley earned a bachelor's in international relations.
Georgetown University
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 8, 2020 -- Photo taken on July 7, 2020 shows the Healy Hall on Georgetown University's main campus in Washington, D.C., the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the White House will push state governors hard to get schools opened in the fall despite a spike in coronavirus cases in the country. (Photo by Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Liu Jie via Getty Images)
Xinhua/Liu Jie via Getty Images
Senators: John Barrasso (R-WY), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
Georgetown University's appeal is partly due to its location in the nation's capital.
Four of its seven Senate alums earned law degrees: Sen. Durbin, Sen. Hirono, Sen. Sullivan, and Sen. Van Hollen.
Sen. Barrasso, meanwhile, earned a medical degree from Georgetown's School of Medicine.
Yale University
Yale University's Cross Campus looking towards Sterling Library. New Haven, Connecticut. Fall, 2013.
Kathryn Donohew Photography/Getty Images
Senators: Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Five of Yale's seven Senate alums earned law degrees from the university: Sen. Bennet, Sen. Blumenthal, Sen. Booker, Sen. Coons, and Sen. Hawley. Sen. Coons also earned a master's degree in religion.
Sen. Klobuchar earned a bachelor's degree in political science, while Sen. Whitehouse earned a bachelor's degree in architecture.
The Ivy League school is in the top 5 most selective schools in the US, with an acceptance rate of 4%.
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA - October 9: The campus of Harvard University is seen behind the John Weeks Bridge from the Charles River on October 9, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Senators: Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jack Reed (D-RI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA).
Eight of Harvard's 13 Senate alums earned Juris Doctor degrees from the Ivy League school: Sen. Cotton, Sen. Cruz, Sen. Kaine, Sen. Crapo, Sen. Reed, Sen. Schiff, Sen. Schumer, and Sen. Warner.
Sen. Blumenthal earned a bachelor's degree in government. Sen. Fetterman and Sen. Van Hollen each earned a Master of Public Policy degree.
Sen. Gallego earned a bachelor's degree in international relations, and Sen. Sullivan earned a bachelor's degree in economics.
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