Revealed: The Australian universities most likely to make you a multi-millionaire
The Australian universities that are most likely to make you ultra rich have been named after comparing campuses who have educated alumni worth more than $30 million. SEE THE LIST
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Four Australian universities have been found to have educated some of the richest people in the world.
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney University, the University of Melbourne and Monash University have been named among the most elite academic institutions that are more likely to produce wealthy graduates.
The new Ultra High Net Worth Alumni Rankings report, compiled by data company Wealth-X, has released a list which is dominated by famous Ivy league American universities including Harvard, Yale and Columbia.
Leading UK universities Cambridge and Oxford are also named.
To compile the list, Wealth-X zoned in on the world’s university graduates who are worth more than $30 million.
It collected a sample of ultra-wealthy alumni and tallied their total wealth as a group based on the degree they completed.
Researchers then used that sample and Wealth-X’s database to estimate how many rich alumni each school has likely graduated in total.
The overall ranking each university is given is based on the known ultra-wealthy alumni population from each uni.
AUSTRALIA’S UBER RICH EDUCATORS
1. The University of NSW
Estimated Ultra High Net Worth alumni: 575 graduates
Combined wealth: $183 billion
UNSW is well-known for it’s ultra rich graduates, it’s most recent success story is being responsible to educating both of tech leader Atlassian’s CEOs.
Now $6.4 billion-dollar men, Mike Cannon-Brookes studied a bachelor of information systems and Scott Farquhar studied a bachelor of arts and science.
One of the country’s most successful property developers is $980 millionaire Maha Sinnathamby, who studied civil engineering at University of NSW.
Sir Michael Hintze ($2.55 billion) achieved his doctorate of business and Masters of Science from UNSW but he got his academic start at another university #2 on the list.
UNSW director of Entrepreneurship Dr Elizabeth Eastland told News Corp programs offered by the university helped foster a culture of student success.
“UNSW students have an entrepreneurial spirit and are encouraged to seize the opportunities available on campus to make their big idea a reality; it’s why we graduate more technology start-ups than any other Australian university and are able to sustain Australia’s most comprehensive on-campus entrepreneurship program, the UNSW Founders Program,” Dr Eastland said.
“UNSW provides students with the best possible start to their careers by encouraging them to translate what they learn in the classroom into ventures with big impact. We are fortunate that our alumni recognise the benefits of the University’s focus on entrepreneurship.
“Through generous donations from Mr Sinnathamby and FF Wong, our Founders 10x Accelerator program is ensuring the next generation of UNSW students have every chance for success.”
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2. UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Estimated Ultra High Net Worth alumni: 550
Combined wealth: $126 billion
Sir Michael Hintze got his first degree at University of Sydney, a bachelor of physics.
Human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson got his doctorate of laws from USyd, he’s since gone on to work along side Amal Clooney, with the European Court of Human Rights.
Meanwhile it’s worth noting Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart is a USyd dropout.
Ms Rinehart started an economics degree there but left to work for her father.
The University of Sydney declined to comment.
Sydney University declined to comment on the findings.
3. MONASH UNIVERSITY
Estimated Ultra High Net Worth alumni: 405
Combined wealth: $46 billion
Visy chairman Anthony Pratt ($15b) graduated with a bachelor of economics from Monash. The Visy family is also heavily a Monash family.
Pratt’s sister Fiona Geminder ($2b, Visy co-owner) studied a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of law at Monash. Pratt’s ex-brother in law Alex Waislitz, vice-president of Collingwood Football Club, also studied law and commerce at Monash. He’s also a billionaire.
However Pratt’s late father, who was Australia’s fourth richest man before he died went to number #4 on the list.
Monash University has been contacted for comment.
4. U NIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
Estimated Ultra High Net Worth alumni: 375
Combined wealth: $104 billion
The late Richard Pratt, who was worth $5.4 billion before he died, studied a bachelor of commerce at the University of Melbourne.
Hugh Morgan, former CEO of Western Mining Corporation studied law and commerce there.
Portia De Rossi studied law there before going on to marry Ellen DeGeneres. The power couple are worth more than $470 million.
Actor Cate Blanchette is the University of Melbourne’s most famous drop out, she left her bachelor of economics and fine arts to go to on to be one of the highest paid actors in the world.
The University of Melbourne declined to comment.
NO UNI, NO WORRIES
While the above universities are linked to some of Australia’s uber wealthy, there’s plenty of mega rich people who dropped out of their studies or never pursued an academic path at all.
Investor James Packer famously declared he never went to uni because he didn’t have the marks.
Harvey Norman chair Gerry Harvey dropped out of uni because he “hated it”.
Clive Palmer ditched his law, journalism and politics degree at University of Queensland, but he did get a diploma in law.
Kerry Stokes went on to become chairman of the Seven Network, he dropped out of school at the age of 14.
Linfox founder Lindsay Fox had no academic interest at all so he started work as a truckie.
Property and shopping centre tycoon John Gandel didn’t go to uni either. It’s the same story for Hungry Jacks owner Jack Cowin. He started in insurance sales.
Former Toll managing director Paul Little also didn’t go to uni and Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart left uni to work for her father Lang Hancock.
THE ULTRA RICH UNIVERSITY LIST
The universities that have created the world’s richest alumni in order of who has the most multi-millionaires.
Harvard University US
Stanford University US
University of Pennsylvania US
Columbia University US
New York University US
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) US
University of Cambridge UK
Northwestern University US
University of Southern California US
University of Chicago US
Yale University US
University of California, Berkeley US
University of Oxford UK
Cornell University US
The University of Texas at Austin US
Princeton University US
University of Notre Dame US
University of Michigan US
INSEAD France
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) US
National University of Singapore
London School of Economics and Political science UK
University of Toronto, Canada
Tsinghua University, China
McGill University, Canada
Peking University, China
University of Mumbai, India
Imperial College London UK
University of Delhi, India
London Business School (LBS) UK
American University of Beirut (AUB) Lebanon
University of New South Wales UNSW
The University of Sydney
University College London (UCL) UK
National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Monash University
University of Melbourne
*Source Wealth-X
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