1 day ago
22
US senators come from all sorts of different educational backgrounds.
Some graduated from the US Naval Academy or smaller private schools, but at least 43 of the 100 senators who will serve in the incoming 120th Congress attended just 10 prominent universities.
Alaska's Senate race is still uncalled; if Sen. Dan Sullivan retains his seat, the total will rise to 44.
Using public biographies of returning and newly elected senators as of the 2026 midterm elections, Business Insider compiled a list of the institutions with the most alums who hold undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, law, or medical degrees.
Some have graduated from multiple of the listed universities. Honorary degrees and schools a senator attended without graduating were excluded.
Harvard University, the oldest college in the country and one of the hardest to get into, tops the list.
Here's a look at the 10 US colleges with the most senator alums who will serve in the 120th Congress.
Brigham Young University
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.
Dartmouth College
Senators: Angus King (I-ME), 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.
Sen. Gillibrand graduated with a bachelor's degree in Asian studies.
Duke University
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
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.
University of Chicago
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
Senators: Incoming Sen. Andy Barr (R-KY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), Angus King (I-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Sen. Kennedy, Sen. King, and Sen. Whitehouse earned law degrees from the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819.
Sen. Moore Capito earned a master's degree in education. Incoming Sen. Barr earned his bachelor's degree in government and philosophy.
Stanford University
Senators: Cory Booker (D-NJ), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Sen. Booker, Sen. Schiff, and Sen. Wyden 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
Senators: John Barrasso (R-WY), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), 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.
At least two of its Senate alums earned law degrees: Sen. Hirono and Sen. Van Hollen. Sen. Sullivan — whose race remained uncalled as of Thursday — also earned a law degree from Georgetown.
Sen. Barrasso, meanwhile, earned a medical degree from Georgetown's School of Medicine.
Yale University
Senators: Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), senator-elect Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Five of Yale's eight 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. Incoming Sen. Brown earned a bachelor's degree in Russian studies.
The Ivy League school is in the top 5 most selective schools in the US, with an acceptance rate of 4%.
Harvard University
Senators: Kurt Alme (R-MT), 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), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), James Talarico (D-TX), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA).
Half of the Ivy League school's Senate alums earned Juris Doctor degrees from there: Sen. Cotton, Sen. Cruz, Sen. Kaine, Sen. Crapo, Sen. Reed, Sen. Schiff, Sen. Schumer, Sen. Warner, and incoming Sen. Alme.
Sen. Blumenthal earned a bachelor's degree in government, as did incoming Sen. Pappas. 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. Incoming Texas Sen. Talarico earned a master's in education policy.
Read next
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
Tristin Hoffman is a Life Fellow on Business Insider’s Editorial Partnerships team. Her reporting focuses on retail, travel, business, and more through a visual storytelling and lifestyle lens. She has previously reported on Oregon’s economy for The Oregonian and Pennsylvania litigation for Law.com. Her stories have inspired policy changes, shed light on public officials’ misconduct, and gained national awards. She graduated from the University of Oregon, where she studied journalism and law while serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Emerald.
