15 Celebrity Parents Whose Kids Went to Ivy League Schools
Having celebrity parents comes with tons of perks — nepotism is alive and well in 2025 — but being a nepo baby doesn't automatically grant you access to the nation's top universities. For that, you have to have the grades. You don't see too many celebrity kids going the Ivy League route unless they are really dedicated, with the brains and the grades to match.
Take Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck's daughter Violet for example. In her first year at Yale University, she already had a paper published in the Global Health Review about the California wildfires that affected her family. And Jodie Foster's son Kit, who graduated from Princeton University in 2024 with a degree in chemistry.
Other celebrity kids want to follow in their parents' entertainment footsteps — just with a college degree under their belt first. This includes Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick's son James Wilkie, who graduated from Brown University in May 2025 and wants to be an actor.
Sure, their parent's name might help them get in the door, but once there, these celebrity students have to work just as hard as everyone else to graduate. Whether their kids attend an Ivy for a short amount of time or they graduate from one of these prestigious universities, these celebrity parents couldn't be prouder.
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Gwyneth Paltrow and ex Chris Martin's son Moses Martin, born in 2006, is a student at Brown University.
Prior to Moses going to college in Fall 2024, Paltrow told The Sunday Times how she felt about being an empty nester. (Her daughter Apple, born in 2004, attends Vanderbilt University.) 'On the one hand, incredible sadness. A deep sense of impending grief. On the other hand, this is exactly what should be happening,' she said. 'Your kids are supposed to be, you know, young adults who can achieve and cope and make connections and be resilient. That's exactly what you want. And that means they leave the house.'
On Moses' 19th birthday in April 2025, Paltrow shared photos of Moses on a FaceTime call with her. He laughs and plays an electric blue guitar from Brown while the duo catch up. 'Happy birthday Moses,' she captioned the photos.
'Honestly, you are a dream come true,' she continued. 'You are deeply kind and brilliant. You have an incredible intellect and you are so gifted, so talented. I listen to your music on repeat and miss you so much at college. And today more than ever. I love you my boy. ❤️mama'
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's son James Wilkie, born in 2002, graduated from Brown University in May 2025. The Sex and the City star opened up on The E! News Sitdown with Bruce Bozzi about encouraging her son and her twin daughters Tabitha and Marion, born in 2009, to be happy and fulfilled.
'I really want my children to be educated in the ways that are fulfilling to them,' Parker said. 'I don't think that there is one way to be an educated person or to be equipped to be an adult and try to fashion a life for yourself after what would be considered 'finishing college'—let's say 22 years old.'
'You want for them to be pursuing things that are exciting and challenging and hard and gratifying and to be able to ultimately take care of themselves, support themselves—emotionally, financially,' she continued, 'and that they can be in the world and be a reliable person to themselves and to other people. And so we talk about work like that.'
In the past, James has said he wants to be an actor, so it'll be exciting to see what he does next!
George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth's eldest daughter Elliott Stephanopoulos, born in 2002, graduated from Brown University in May 2025. The Good Morning America co-anchor posted a picture on Instagram captioned, 'We have a college graduate!!! Congratulations to Elliott, and to the entire class of 2025. We love you and are so proud of you, E!'
Wentworth shared pictures of the big day as well, writing, 'She did it! Happy graduation to an incredible human being who has her father's brain and my legs. And if it was the other way around- she'd be screwed. Proud parents! All our children deserve an education!'
Their younger daughter Harper, born in 2005, is studying at Vanderbilt University.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones just became parents of a Brown University graduate for the second time as their daughter Carys Douglas, born in 2003, graduated in May 2025. Their son Dylan, born in 2000, graduated from Brown in 2022.
Zeta-Jones shared a picture of her and Douglas kissing their daughter on the cheek to mark her graduation, writing, 'The night before graduation!!!! We are both such proud parents right now!! It's only just begun!! @carys.douglas 👩🎓🎓👩🎓'
Douglas shared a video for his daughter's graduation, saying in the caption, 'Congratulations Carys and the entire 2025 graduation class as you all begin your next chapter! We love you @carys.douglas ❤️ 🎓 👏'
Previously, Zeta-Jones posted a picture of her hugging Dylan when he graduated. 'Graduation congratulations to my boy, my pride, my joy, Dylan. I am inexplicably proud of you and I love you beyond words,' she wrote. At the same time, Douglas posted his congratulations, writing, 'One proud Dad! Congratulations Dylan! Well done! 👏 @dylan__douglas.'
Jennifer Garner and ex-husband Ben Affleck's eldest daughter Violet completed her first year at Yale University in May 2025.
During her first year, she wrote an essay for her university's Global Health Review titled, A Chronically Ill Earth: COVID Organizing as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles. According to Hola!, she wrote how she wasn't surprised that fires burned near her California home. 'As a lifelong Angeleno and climate-literate member of Generation Z, my question had not been whether the Palisades would burn but when,' she wrote in part.
Conan O'Brien and Liza Powel O'Brien's daughter Neve, born in 2003, attends Yale University and is an illustrator for the Yale Daily News Magazine, per Hello! The comedian hasn't confirmed where his son Beckett, born in 2005, is attending college.
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's daughter Malia, born in 1998, went to Harvard University in Fall 2017 and graduated in 2021 with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies. In Sept. 2017, Obama opened up about the heart-wrenching experience of dropping off his daughter at college, per E! News.
'For those of us who have daughters, it just happens fast,' the 44th president said. 'I dropped off Malia at college, and I was saying to Joe and Jill [Biden] that it was a little bit like open-heart surgery.'
He added, 'I was proud that I did not cry in front of her, but on the way back, the secret service was looking straight ahead pretending they weren't hearing me as I sniffled and blew my nose. It was rough.'
The Obamas' youngest daughter Sasha, born in 2001, attended college at the University of Michigan.
Jodie Foster and ex Cydney Bernard's two sons both went to Ivies. Their eldest son Charlie (pictured above), born in 1998, attended Yale University and was a part of many theater productions from 2017 to 2021, per TODAY.
Their youngest son Christopher 'Kit,' born in 2001, graduated from Princeton University in 2024 with a degree in chemistry. His mom previously called him a 'hyper-focused scientist' with no desire to be an actor in an interview with Net-a-Porter. In the same interview, she called Charlie a 'super-charming, super-spontaneous' kid.
Denzel Washington and Pauletta Washington's four kids are all college graduates, with two of them attending Ivy League schools. Their eldest daughter Katia, born in 1986, graduated from Yale University in 2010 and now works as a producer for Bron Studios, per PEOPLE.
Their son Malcolm, born in 1991, attended the University of Pennsylvania and played for the university's basketball team from 2009-2010. He ended up graduating from Fordham University.
Three of Donald Trump's kids attended his alma mater University of Pennsylvania: his son Donald Jr., born in 1977, and daughter Ivanka, born in 1981, who he shares with ex Ivana Trump; and his daughter Tiffany Trump, born in 1993, who he shares with ex Marla Maples.
Donald Jr. graduated from the Wharton School in 2000, Ivanka graduated from Wharton in 2004, and Tiffany graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
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