How long did Donald Trump attend Fordham and why did he transfer to Wharton?
Executive summary
Donald Trump attended Fordham University for two years (ending spring 1966) before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he completed a B.S. in economics in 1968 [1] [2]. Reporting and later profiles say he entered Wharton as a junior; accounts differ on how much of the transfer was routine academic choice and how much involved personal connections or favors [2] [3].
1. Two years at Fordham, then a junior transfer to Wharton
Contemporary and later profiles agree Trump began college at Fordham College at Rose Hill and left after the spring 1966 term, having spent two years there, then transferred into Wharton as a junior and graduated in 1968 with an economics degree [1] [2]. Fordham itself has confirmed that Trump studied at its liberal arts college for two years before transferring [4]. Early reporting and university materials consistently place his Fordham attendance from 1964–1966 [5] [1].
2. How Trump explained the transfer: “test myself against the best”
In his memoir The Art of the Deal and in accounts repeated by Fordham’s student newspaper, Trump said he transferred because he wanted to “test” himself at a more competitive business school, a rationale presented as a personal academic ambition rather than a logistical necessity [1]. That account has been cited by Fordham reporting and others noting Trump’s own public description of the move [1].
3. Admissions and the unresolved question of influence
Journalistic investigations report two competing frames: school officials say Wharton evaluated and admitted him as a transfer student, while other reporting links Trump’s move to family connections. A Washington Post–based account quoted an admissions official, James Nolan, saying a phone call from Trump’s older brother and a family friend helped prompt the transfer review; Nolan said the application and interview were reviewed by admissions staff before approval [3] [6]. PhillyMag and AP reporting stress that Wharton accepted him as a junior transfer and that institutional review occurred, but also note the lingering claims about influence and favors [6] [2].
4. Disputes about academic standing and later claims
Some early profiles and promotional claims about Trump’s performance at Wharton — including a 1973 New York Times piece that said he graduated at the top of his class — have been disputed in later fact-checking and reporting; the AP notes that such early assertions do not appear to be accurate and that Trump’s boasting about Wharton has been a recurring theme in his public life [2]. University and journalist investigations have not substantiated the more exalted claims about class rank [2].
5. Records, privacy and contested documents
Attempts to scrutinize Trump’s academic record have produced contested documents and denials. A 2024 Reuters fact check found no evidence for a circulated image claimed to be Trump’s Fordham transcript and quoted Fordham officials reiterating his two-year attendance before transfer [4]. Congressional testimony and correspondence have been referenced in reporting, but public documentation remains limited and some items circulated on social media were judged inauthentic [4] [6].
6. Two narratives: merit-based transfer vs. aided admission
Reporting presents two plausible, not mutually exclusive, narratives: Trump says he transferred to test himself at a top business school [1]. Investigations and reporting by outlets such as The Washington Post, Poets & Quants and regional press document that a family friend and his brother intervened with an admissions contact, prompting review and eventual admission — while Wharton staff say formal steps were taken and approvals recorded [3] [6]. Available sources do not definitively resolve whether admissions decisions were materially altered by influence beyond normal transfer review [6] [3].
7. What the sources agree and what they don’t
Sources consistently agree on the timeline: two years at Fordham, transfer as a junior to Wharton, and graduation in 1968 [1] [2] [4]. They disagree — or at least offer different emphases — about motive and mechanism: Trump’s stated motive of academic ambition appears in his memoir and Fordham reporting [1]; journalistic probing highlights the role of personal connections and the possibility of favored treatment without producing a single, conclusive document proving improper influence [3] [6].
Limitations: reporting is based on archival interviews, memoir statements and institutional comments; publicly available primary records (detailed transcripts, admissions files) are not fully disclosed in these sources, so some questions about the precise admissions process remain open [6] [4].