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World Ultra Wealth Report 2022
Published by: BoardEx
Published on:

University Alumni Rankings of the Wealthy and Influential 2022

Published by: BoardEx
Published on:
Alumni offer their alma maters a variety of important commercial and academic opportunities. These range from major private donations, corporate partnerships and networking opportunities for students and recent alumni.

To capture insights on wealthy and influential alumni, this report focuses upon two groups of individuals: the ultra wealthy (those with a net worth of $30m+) and senior executives of publicly listed companies.

In an increasingly competitive education market, institutions need to make the most of their ultra wealthy and senior executive alumni – the groups are the focus for Altrata’s latest report University Alumni Rankings of the Wealthy and Influential 2022.

Which Universities have the most ultra-wealthy alumni?

Harvard University stands in a league of its own, with an estimated 17,660 UHNW alumni. This is more than double the number for Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania, in second and third place respectively.

Universities in the UK feature prominently in the non-US list of UHNW alumni, accounting for three of the top five positions. The University of Cambridge leads the way, although it ranks behind the top six US institutions and is less than one-quarter the number from Harvard.

Top UHNW univerisities: 
US Universities - 
Harvard University
Stanford University 
University of Pennsylvania 
Columbia University 
New York University 
Non-US Universities: 
University of Cambridge 
National University of Singapore
University of Oxford
INSEAD
London School of Economics

Which Universities have the most senior executive alumni?

Harvard leads among US universities, with around 3,900 alumni that are senior executives at public companies in the US. This is nearly 60% higher than the second-ranked University of Pennsylvania and close to two times that of third-ranked Stanford University. 

US universities feature prominently when ranked according to the number of senior executive alumni at companies across the Global 19 (non- US) major indices. Harvard ranks first, with Stanford in fourth and five other US universities in the top 15.

This is a nod to the global reputation and network reach of these institutions, which provide a rigorous grounding to develop the skill sets and expertise required for board and C-suite positions at large publicly traded companies around the world.

Top UHNW US Universities by senior executives: 
Harvard University
University of Pennsylvania
Stanford University
Columbia University 
Northwestern University 

Top Universities by senior executives in Global 19:
Harvard University
INSEAD
University of Oxford
Stanford University
University of Cambridge

What are the benefits of wealthy and influential alumni?

Alumni who are wealthy and/or influential within the corporate world present an ongoing opportunity for education institutions. These alumni are potential significant donors on the fundraising side, either as private donors or as senior executives facilitating donations by their company.

Wealthy and influential alumni are typically well connected and can provide network opportunities for students and recent alumni. These important alumni and their status, achievements, connections, and sometimes, celebrities, help to bolster an institution’s reputation.

The value of alumni: 
Private donations, alumni networks, corporate donations, corporate partnerships. brand and reputation

Access the complete rankings of US and International schools based on their wealthy and influential alumni. Our analysis highlights more than 60 universities and ranks them using criteria like: source of wealth, age, gender, network, career progression, industry experience, and more.

The University Alumni Report 2022 leverages two of Altrata’s unique products, the Wealth-X Database, the world’s most extensive collection of curated research and intelligence on the wealthy, and BoardEx’s proprietary Global Leadership Database, which covers board and non-board members, C-suite executives, senior leaders and professional advisers.

University Alumni Report 2022 Cover