1. Natalie Portman

When this Best Actress-winner’s came to be of college age, she had completed her first performance as Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels. Once she found out she’d been accepted to Harvard, the actress decided it was time to wipe off the stage makeup and head back to school.

Portman took a hiatus from acting (with the exception of Star Wars) and graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in Psychology. She then returned to her birthplace, Jerusalem, to take graduate courses at the Hebrew University. She’s one of the few on our list who’s published in scientific journals.

2. Emma Watson

Hers was perhaps the most publicized case of celebrity gone back to school. Towards the tail end of the Harry Potter films franchise, Hermione decided to pursue an education. She hit the books at Brown University for five years — albeit without her own messenger owl.

She also spent time back home in the UK at none other than the University of Oxford before returning to the Ivy League school in order to complete her B.A. in English literature. Think that’s impressive? Wait until you see some of the other famous faces on our list!

3. James Franco

James Franco really, really loves college. After having dropped out of UCLA after one year, he didn’t just go back to school later on and finish his degree. He chose to spend as much time as possible learning in as many institutions as he could.

His English degree from UCLA has an emphasis in creative writing. But at every possible opportunity, he continued to push himself academically. Just to name a few, Franco attended graduate school for writing at Columbia and Brooklyn College, filmmaking at NYU, and went for a PhD in English at Yale.

4. Elisabeth Shue

She tangled with the likes of Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid, Tom Cruise in Cocktail, and Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. This girl-next-door began her academic career at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, transferring to Harvard, but leaving just before graduation in order to act.

But having been honored recently with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, in 1997 Elisabeth decided enough was enough, and it was high time to complete the cycle. She graduated in 2000 from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

5. Brooke Shields

A child model and actress, Brooke Shields traded in the pleasures of The Blue Lagoon for a Princeton dormitory. Her transition was hard at first, as in Brooke’s own words, “It was difficult for me because I didn’t know anyone, and everyone knew me.”

Plagued by paparazzi, she nonetheless persevered. Majoring in romance languages with an emphasis in French, she drew from her personal experience for her thesis and wrote about her past director Louis Malle.

Who else graduated with honors? Read on and find out!

6. Jennifer Connelly

She’d appeared in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, and had to deal with David Bowie and a motley crew of muppets in Labyrinth. But before accelerating onward to even greater fame — and an Oscar — she cracked open the textbooks.

Jennifer Connely managed to diversify her learning process at esteemed institutions, studying English at Yale before transferring to the West Coast to focus in drama at Stanford. Continue reading to discover other top celebrities and their achievements in the world of education.

7. Eva Longoria

Even before the series that made her a household name came to an end, Desperate Housewives lead Eva Longoria knew it was important to keep stimulating her brain. But she wasn’t coming back to school to finish a degree — this actress wanted to add to her portfolio.

Possessing a degree in kinesiology from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Longoria began a three-year process of study at California State University, Northridge. For her master’s in Chicano Studies, Longoria wrote a thesis on the importance of visibility and involvement of Latinas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

8. Steven Spielberg

In 2002, a bespectacled, grey-haired man ascended the stage to accept his diploma, 34 years after dropping out. That man was none other than one of the most celebrated directors of all time, Steven Spielberg, and he had just one unfulfilled credit preventing him from graduating.

He submitted his term paper, and finally became eligible to graduate California State University, Long Beach with a B.A. in Film and Electronic Arts. Despite having already won three Oscars, myriad other awards, and even honorary degrees, it was important to Spielberg to finish what he had started.

9. Oprah Winfrey

By the time she was a sophomore at Tennessee State University, Oprah was already forging her path into the world of television as a news anchor. She left one credit shy of graduating, and continued her journey to success, despite her father’s urging that she go back to school.

Fast forward to 1986. Oprah had founded her own company and headed her own nationally syndicated show, on her way to becoming the influential mogul we know today. Invited to speak at TSU commencement, she decided it was only proper to complete her degree in Mass Communication there first.

10. Carrie Underwood

When it came time to put on the cap and gown and walk the stage, this Oklahoma girl with the magnanimous set of pipes had already become America’s sweetheart. She graduated after already having been crowned the Season 4 winner of American Idol.

Carrie had to leave Northeastern State University to devote herself fully to participation in the show. To her great fortune, her university felt she had garnered enough credits on television to deserve her B.A. in Mass Communications, and gave her the degree stamped with magna cum laude.

What other celebrities put their careers on hold and went back to school? Can you guess who else made our list?

11. Haley Joel Osment

It must have been exhausting for him to constantly explain to his fellow students in the dorms that he did not, in fact, see dead people. Child talent Haley Joel Osment enrolled at NYU long after having been Forrest Gump‘s son, and communicating with ghosts in The Sixth Sense.

This Best Supporting Actor-nominee spent his college years learning experimental theater and shifting directions through NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts acting program. Graduating in 2011, he’s remarked how important attending college and being away from the Hollywood scene was for his personal development.

12. Michael Jordan

He wasted no time to complete what he’d begun. Going back to school was something this hoop wizard opted to do ASAP. Jordan, whose name would become synonymous with basketball itself, was accepted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on an athletics scholarship.

He left school a year before graduation so that he could be entered into the 1984 NBA Draft. “His Airness” spent several years playing for the Chicago Bulls before ducking out of the sports world for a brief moment in order to gain his degree in cultural geography.

13. Mayim Bialik

Sure, there’s some serious method actors out there in Hollywood, but just how often does one who’s portraying a scientist on television actually have the academic chops to back it up? Enter The Big Bang Theory star, the fabulously brainy Mayim Bialik.

This child actress completed her stint on Blossom and was accepted to Harvard and Yale before choosing to study neuroscience at UCLA, minoring in Hebrew and Jewish studies. She made her triumphant return to academia in 2007, earning a PhD.

14. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

After a childhood on 3rd Rock from the Sun, and a starring role in 10 Things I Hate About You, Joseph Gordon Levitt went to the Ivy Leagues. In the middle of his climb to the Hollywood stratosphere, he stopped off at Columbia.

At Columbia, Gordon-Levitt took a break from Hollywood and transformed into a Francophile, focusing on French language and literature. While he wouldn’t complete his four years at the Ivy League institution, his 10 Things I Hate About You co-star Julia Stiles would follow shortly thereafter, at the very same school.

15. Claire Danes

Talk about having connections in the right places! When young actress Claire Danes applied to study at Yale University, she turned in a letter of recommendation from none other than acclaimed director Oliver Stone. The two had recently collaborated on his film U Turn.

It must be hard to give up the acting life when you’ve made thirteen films in five years. Ultimately, Claire Danes returned to her career after two years of study, and wound up riding the train of success all the way to Homeland.

These next celebrity scholars on our list are bound to surprise you — take a look!

16. Tyra Banks

The woman in charge of America’s Next Top Model made the rounds at America’s first top university. Already a world-famous supermodel strutting international runways back in her teen years, Tyra made time in 2011 to go back to school — all the way to Harvard.

Tyra studied in a nine-week program at Harvard Business School, and proudly earned a non-degree certificate. She’s gone on to lecture at Stanford University on the subject of image branding. And based on her career endurance, she clearly knows a thing or two about the business of being Tyra Banks.

17. America Ferrera

It’s the decision that must have made Mom beam with joy. America Ferrera’s mother, an immigrant from Honduras, had imprinted on her daughter the importance of education. And after her supernova of success with Ugly Betty, this actress went back to the school she’d temporarily left behind.

America had taken a leave of absence from USC to play the role that would launch her career as an actress, but went back a decade later and earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations. She can have her diploma — and hang it too.

18. Shaquille O’Neal

Shaq was already making waves and slaying the competition as an undergraduate studying business at Louisiana State University. But before he could satisfy the requirements of his degree, Shaq was drafted to the Orlando Magic, embarking upon his journey to stardom in the NBA.

But this giant refused to forget from whence he came. In 2000, he completed the necessary coursework and was granted a bachelor’s of science in general studies. For his graduation ceremony, he had to miss a Lakers game against the Vancouver Grizzlies — with his team’s full support.

19. Jodie Foster

Making movies from the tender age of 3, Jodie Foster’s college experience at the prestigious Yale was anything but conventional. Following her role in Taxi Driver, she caught the attention of the infamous John Hinckley Jr., who became obsessed with her.

Even though she required bodyguards on campus, and participated in no less than five films during summer vacations, Foster made it work. She received her bachelor’s in literature, and went on to take Hollywood by storm, winning Best Actress twice.

Keep reading to find out which of your favorite stars put an emphasis on education!

20. Shakira

What happens when you’re a female pop superstar who wants to go back to school but really, really doesn’t want to be recognized? Disguise yourself as a boy. It sounds like the plot of a farce comedy, but that’s exactly what Colombian singer Shakira did in 2007.

After completing a successful album tour, Shakira traded in her belly-dancer fringe skirt for a baseball cap, baggy pants, and a backpack. In the middle of an upward swing in her career, it was nonetheless important for her to take a course in History of Western Civilization at UCLA.

21. Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd had a slew of films under her belt when she opted to head back to school. She studied French for a full four years at the University of Kentucky, and even studied abroad in France. But in 1990, she changed directions and moved to Hollywood.

Seventeen years later, this leading lady completed the paperwork necessary to receive her diploma. Undeterred, she climbed the education ladder to the top, going on to earn a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Most recently, she began a PhD program at UC Berkeley.

22. Michelle Kwan

She has the most medals of any American skater, ever. For a decade, Michelle Kwan’s face was not only the most recognizable on the ice rink, but among the most well-known in sports. So when a 2006 injury changed her career path, she wanted to turn it positive.

Michelle had already studied one year at UCLA, but transferred to the University of Denver, where she graduated with a B.A. in international studies and a minor in political science. She went on to gain a masters in the same field from Tufts.

23. Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson had already gone abroad to New York, as well as appearing in a number of films and shows in her native Australia. But before moving forward on that trajectory, it was of key importance to her personally to gain a degree to fall back on.

Wilson worked hard at the University of New South Wales, and her efforts yielded her a formidable double degree: a B.A. in Theater and Performance Studies, along with a Bachelor of Laws. When you see her on film, know you’re watching a woman who’s armed with knowledge.

24. Christy Turlington

You couldn’t open a fashion magazine in the 1990s without seeing the gorgeous Christy Turlington gracing its cover. Posing in music videos from Duran Duran and George Michael, she was inescapably captivating. But Turlington refused to be just another pretty face.

Christy not only earned a degree in comparative religion and Eastern philosophy from the prestigious New York University, but continued her period of study at Columbia University’s School of Public Health. If that wasn’t already impressive enough, she has since gone on to serve as an advisor to the Harvard School of Public Health Board of Dean’s Advisors.

25. Tatyana Ali

Acting since she was a little girl on Sesame Street, Tatyana Ali was one of the breakout stars of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. With her album certified gold, touched up by co-star Will Smith, she nonetheless knew it was important to back to school. Where? Why, Harvard, of course.

This overachiever received her bachelor’s degree in both African American studies and government from America’s oldest university in 2002. Uncle Phil probably would have insisted that she continue to his alma mater at Harvard Law, but we’re still super impressed.

Impressed? Wait till you see which other celebrities quit their careers to go back to school!

26. Katie Ledecky

For this Olympic record-breaker to step off the podium and join the people after so much time in the limelight, it must have been a humbling and perhaps relieving experience. That’s exactly what happened in 2016, when American swimmer Katie Ledecky commenced her studies at Stanford University.

Katie deferred her enrollment in order to focus on her training for the Rio Olympics. It paid off, and she went back to school with a fresh set of gold medals in tow. These days, this fourteen-time world champion is happily swimming for Stanford.

27. Simone Manuel

Yet another American medalist on the Stanford roster! Swimming deity Simone Manuel brought the US gold in the women’s 100-meter freestyle. She enrolled at Stanford University in 2014, where her roommate is none other than her Olympic teammate, swimmer Katie Ledecky.

After having competed successfully in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone swung back to her California campus with four shiny new medals on her neck (two gold, two silver) to add to her already-astounding collection. Balancing academics and Olympics: now that’s a true talent!

28. Tony La Russa

When it comes to modern giants of baseball, any list would be incomplete without mentioning Tony La Russa. This manager of the Chicago White Sox, the Oakland Athletics, and the St. Louis Cardinals started off as a professional player himself before swinging back to school.

He didn’t let his career playing for Oakland get in the way of his studies. Off the field, La Russa earned a degree in industrial management from the University of South Florida. Undaunted, he would later earn a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law.

29. Wilma Rudolph

She was the first American woman to score three gold medals in one Olympic Games, and was the fastest woman in the entire world in the 1960s. Today’s Olympic runners still stand in the shadow that Wilma Rudolph cast. And she left it all to go back to school.

This polio survivor enrolled at Tennessee State University after high school, but had to put her studies on hold in order to compete. Having taken the world by storm, she determinedly went back to the books. Wilma Rudolph graduated in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

30. Pearl Bailey

From entertaining US troops during World War II, to the Tony Award she scored for her performance onstage in Hello, Dolly!, this singer, comic, and actress had been in show business for fifty years. But suddenly this legend came down to earth and back to school.

Hers is an inspiring tale of a celebrity who put in the time and effort to work for her education. After seven years studying at Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University, she was awarded a bachelor’s degree in theology in 1985, at the age of 67. It’s never too late!

Sources: therichest.com, news.stanford.edu