Where did Trump go to college and is it actually the hardest school to get into?

[MateoBrown]

I'm applying to transfer schools next year and my dad keeps bringing up Donald Trump as some kind of example?? He's like "Trump went to Wharton and look where he is now" and I'm just sitting there trying to eat my cereal. It got me curious though—where did Trump actually go, and was it really that prestigious back then?

I looked it up and found out he started at Fordham University in the Bronx for two years, then transferred to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 and graduated in 1968 with a degree in economics . But here's the thing—Trump always says Wharton was "the hardest school to get into" and "super genius stuff."

But I read that a former admissions officer named James Nolan said back in 1966, more than half of applicants got in, and transfer students had an even higher acceptance rate . Nolan actually interviewed Trump personally as a favor to his older brother Fred Jr., who had failed to get into Penn earlier . So like... was it actually hard to get into or was it just connections?

I'm not trying to start drama, I'm genuinely curious how much college reputations change over time.

 

[Anthony]

Mateo, this is genuinely fascinating admissions history. Let me break down what the research shows:

Trump's education path:

• New York Military Academy (high school)
• Fordham University 1964-66 (studied economics)
• Transferred to Wharton, graduated 1968 with B.S. in economics

The "hardest school" question:

According to James Nolan, the former Wharton admissions officer who personally interviewed Trump:

• More than half of applicants were accepted in the 1960s
• Transfer students had an even higher acceptance rate
• Trump's older brother Fred Jr. called Nolan directly to request an interview for Donald
• Trump brought his father Fred Sr. to the interview

Nolan said he "certainly was not struck by any sense that I'm sitting before a genius" .

Context from Penn's own archives:
A University of Pennsylvania historical exhibit shows the school was actively restructuring in the 1960s—reducing Wharton's undergraduate enrollment to shift toward liberal arts and compete with other Ivies . Wharton wasn't yet the powerhouse it is today.

So your dad's argument kinda falls apart. Trump got in through connections at a time when getting in was much easier, and the school's reputation has grown massively since then. College reputations absolutely change over decades.