Academy Awards nominations 2024: Where did the Oscar nominees go to university?

This year marks the 96th edition of the Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, and we’ve taken a look at where the 2024 nominees went to university to prep themselves for careers in the film industry.

Although some of the talent did not attend university, choosing instead to dive straight into work, there are 82 universities, theatre schools and specialist schools from all over the world on this year’s list.

Unsurprisingly, universities and colleges in North America and the UK are well represented, but universities in Japan, France, Germany, Poland and Chile also feature.

It is also important to note that universities and theatre schools were still included in this list even if the nominee dropped out part way through their course or transferred to another university during their degree programme – and some of the nominees’ education information was not available online at the time of publication.

New York University

New York University has produced the highest number of nominees this year, with an incredible seven in total. It’s important to note that five of these nominees attended the university’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, which is a well-known institution for producing successful artists, film-makers and creatives.

Two cast members of comedy-drama American Fiction are NYU alumni (Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown), while other categories featuring NYU alumni include Original Screenplay Writing (Samy Burch for May December) and Music (Mark Ronson for the catchy “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie).

Yale University

With six nominated alumni this year, Yale is regularly at or near the top of the list for producing Oscar nominations. Three of the nominees studied for master’s degrees at the Yale School of Drama.

Jodie Foster, nominated for her role in Nyad, completed a bachelor’s degree in literature from the Ivy League institution while still working as an actress. In 1993, she revisited Yale to deliver the commencement address and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1997. In 2018, she received the Yale Undergraduate Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Holdovers star Paul Giamatti earned a bachelor’s degree in English and went on to study a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.

University of Southern California

With six nominated alumni, the University of Southern California is represented in sound, music, documentary and acting categories.

America Ferrera, nominated for her part in Barbie, attended the University of Southern California on a presidential scholarship, where she studied theatre and international relations. She left to concentrate on acting and returned to finish her bachelor’s degree in May 2013.

Composer Ludwig Göransson graduated from the Stockholm Royal College of Music and relocated to Los Angeles to join the University of Southern California Scoring for Motion Picture and Television programme in 2007. During his time at the university, he met Ryan Coogler, and they collaborated on the score for the acclaimed short film Fig in 2011. They went on to work on other projects together, such as Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther. Göransson is nominated this year for his original score for Oppenheimer.

Harvard University

Harvard University is represented by four nominees this year.

Cinematographer Edward Lachman, nominated for his work on El Conde, attended Harvard University and graduated with a BA before moving to France to study at at the University of Tours. He later earned a BFA in painting at Ohio University.

Producer David Heyman studied art history at Harvard University, where he was also a member of the fencing team. He is best known for being the primary producer for the Harry Potter film series and is now nominated for his work as producer on Barbie.

The Juilliard School

The Juilliard School, commonly shortened to Juilliard, is a private conservatory for the performing arts located in New York City and this year has produced four nominees.

Danielle Brooks, nominated for her role in the musical The Color Purple, attended South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities before studying drama at Juilliard. She graduated in 2011 and has since had a varied career on both stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut in the musical of The Color Purple, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Grammy award.  

Another Juilliard alum is singer-songwriter and composer Jon Batiste. He studied jazz at the Juilliard School, obtaining a bachelor of music in 2008 and a master of music in 2011. During his time at Juilliard, he also released his second album, Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art.

California State University

California State University (Cal State or CSU) is the largest public university system in the United States, comprising 23 campuses and seven off-campus centres across California. Four nominees at this year’s Academy Awards attended California State University. 

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique, nominated for his work on Maestro, studied sociology and communications at California State University, Fullerton, and later obtained an MFA in cinematography from AFI Conservatory.

Diane Warren, nominated for Music (original song) for her work on The Fire Inside, attended Los Angeles Pierce College and graduated from California State University, Northridge in 1978.

Steven Spielberg, who has already won three Academy Awards, holds a bachelor of arts in film and electronic media from California State University, Long Beach. 

Where did the rest of the nominees go to university?