Where did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attend college and what degree did she earn?

1. Boston University: the agreed-upon alma mater

Public records and biographical profiles consistently place Ocasio-Cortez at Boston University for her undergraduate education, with multiple institutional and reference sources stating she graduated from BU’s College of Arts & Sciences in 2011 ^{[1] [5] [2]}. The congresswoman’s campus ties are reinforced by university-affiliated recognition and alumni listings describing her post-graduation career and later interactions with the institution’s departments ^{[7] [2]}.

2. The degree: cum laude and fields of study

The core factual point—she graduated cum laude in 2011 with a bachelor-level degree covering economics and international relations—is repeatedly reported: Wikipedia, Britannica, the Archives of Women’s Political Communication, and a Snopes fact-check all state she graduated cum laude with study in economics and international relations ^{[1] [2] [4] [3]}. Those sources characterize the credential as a Bachelor of Arts in economics and international relations or a bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics, which establishes the broad contours of her academic preparation ^{[1] [4] [2]}.

3. Wording differences: “two degrees” versus a double major

Some outlets, including BestColleges and Ballotpedia, use language that implies she earned “two degrees” or “bachelor’s degrees in economics and international relations,” while others describe a single Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in those fields ^{[6] [5]}. This difference in wording is notable for readers parsing credentials: a single BA with a double major and two distinct bachelor’s degrees can reflect different administrative realities at universities, but the available reporting does not provide primary-source diploma scans or BU registrar confirmations to resolve the semantic distinction definitively ^{[6] [5] [3]}.

4. Fact-checking and source credibility

Independent fact-checking outlets corroborate the headline facts: Snopes affirmed that Ocasio-Cortez graduated cum laude from Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2011, which undercuts politicized attempts to downplay or exaggerate her academic résumé ^[3]. Institutional and scholarly references such as Britannica, BU departmental pages, and academic archives align on the basic facts, lending convergent credibility even where phrasing varies ^{[2] [7] [4]}.

5. Why the distinction matters and how reporting can skew perception

The debate over “one BA with a double major” versus “two degrees” is emblematic of how small wording choices in profiles can be used to amplify or diminish a public figure’s résumé; outlets sympathetic to Ocasio-Cortez’s narrative stress her academic honors and fields of study, while political opponents may seize on ambiguous phrasing to cast doubt—yet the central, well-sourced facts remain unchanged across major references ^{[1] [6] [3]}. Reporting that focuses on spin rather than primary documentation should prompt readers to seek university confirmations when the precise administrative label matters.

6. Bottom line

Across encyclopedic, fact-checking, institutional, and civic sources, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is reported to have attended Boston University, graduating cum laude in 2011 with undergraduate study in economics and international relations; differences among sources are primarily semantic about whether that education is described as a single BA with a double major or as two bachelor’s degrees ^{[1] [2] [3] [5]}. Where the existing reporting stops — it does not present BU-issued diploma images or a direct registrar statement in these snippets — readers should interpret the consensus on institution, honors, year, and fields as the reliable core of her academic biography ^{[4] [6]}.