10 self-made billionaires who never set foot in college
These successful entrepreneurs show that skipping college does not mean missing out on wealth and business success.
For many, earning a college degree has long been considered the most reliable path to a stable career and financial security. But a degree is not a guaranteed ticket to success, and some of the world’s wealthiest people have proven that skipping higher education is not necessarily a barrier to building extraordinary careers.
These 10 individuals became billionaires despite leaving formal education after high school, and in some cases, even earlier. Their stories show that ambition, creativity, and persistence can sometimes matter more than a diploma.
Henry Ford
Ford Motor Company founder
Estimated net worth (if alive) - $219 billion
Ford left home early to apprentice and work in Detroit rather than pursue formal schooling. He revolutionized transportation by using assembly lines and building the Model T. He believed degrees mean little unless you can do something with them.
John D. Rockefeller
Standard Oil founder
Estimated net worth (if alive) - $371 billion
Rockefeller never attended college (only a very short bookkeeping course) and started work at 16. He later became one of the richest people in history. He also gave back: funding the University of Chicago and schools for freedmen after the Civil War.
Richard Branson
Virgin Group founder
Estimated net worth - $3.9 billion
Branson dropped out of school as a teenager due to dyslexia and poor grades. He started a mail-order record business, which developed into the Virgin Group with hundreds of companies. He argues life experience can be as valuable as formal education.
Amancio Ortega
Zara co-founder
Estimated net worth - $77 billion
Ortega quit school at age 14, learned tailoring and garment work as a shop hand, and later co-founded Zara (under Inditex). He never went back to formal school, though his foundation supports education and scholarships.
Roman Abramovich
Russian business magnate, former Chelsea FC owner
Estimated net worth - $10.6 billion
Abramovich left school at 17. He rose from an orphaned childhood in Russia to make a fortune via investments, steel, and owning a prominent soccer club (Chelsea FC). He has also made large charitable contributions especially toward education, though controversies have affected him in recent years.
François Pinault
Kering founder
Estimated net worth - $33.5 billion
Pinault left school at 15, partly because of social pressures like teasing over his accent and clothes. He later founded what is now luxury group Kering (with brands like Gucci, Saint Laurent), and built it into a major holdings empire.
Liliane Bettencourt
L’Oréal heiress
Estimated net worth (if alive) - $47.8 billion
Bettencourt inherited the family business (L’Oréal) and had no need for higher education. She joined the company as an apprentice in her youth and later became its principal shareholder. At her death she was among the wealthiest women in the world.
Haim Saban
Media mogul, “Power Rangers” co-creator
Estimated net worth- $2.9 billion
Saban immigrated to the United States from Egypt as a child. He started out in music and television production and later co-created the “Power Rangers” franchise. He grew his wealth through media investments and remains influential in both entertainment and political circles.
David Green
Hobby Lobby founder
Estimated net worth - $13.9 billion
Green completed high school but never went to college. He got started with about $600 in capital building a picture-frame business, grew into a large retailer, and is a major donor to Christian colleges.
John Paul DeJoria
Paul Mitchell co-founder, Patrón founder
Estimated net worth - $2.9 billion
DeJoria grew up in poverty and had periods of homelessness. He started selling hair care products door to door, eventually co-founding Paul Mitchell hair products. He also co-founded Patrón Spirits and expanded into other business ventures, turning persistence and hands-on sales experience into major success.
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