Did Donald Trump start his college studies at Fordham University before attending Wharton?
Executive summary
Donald Trump began college at Fordham University in the Bronx in 1964 and attended there for about two years before transferring to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a B.S. in economics in May 1968 [1] [2] [3]. Multiple news outlets, university statements and retrospective accounts corroborate the Fordham-to-Wharton timeline, though the former president has emphasized Wharton in public statements while rarely discussing his Fordham years [2] [1].
1. A simple chronology: Fordham first, then Wharton
Contemporary reporting and university records consistently place Trump at Fordham College at Rose Hill for two years beginning in 1964, followed by a transfer to the Wharton School where he completed his degree in 1968 [1] [2] [3]. Fordham itself has confirmed that Trump spent his first two college years at its liberal arts college before moving to Penn’s Wharton School [2].
2. Why the transfer matters to his public image
Trump has long touted his Wharton diploma as a credential; he “likes to talk” about Wharton while saying little about Fordham, which helps explain why many public references flatten his two‑step college path into “Wharton alumnus” [1]. Journalists and analysts note that emphasizing Wharton serves both biographical prestige and political messaging, while the Fordham years are treated as a quieter prelude [1].
3. Multiple, independent confirmations
Mainstream outlets and university sources (Reuters’ fact check and Fordham reporting) explicitly state the same sequence: Fordham for two years, then transfer to Wharton and graduation in May 1968 [2] [1]. Other biographies and profiles echo that timeline, producing a clear consensus across disparate publishers [4] [5] [6] [7] [8].
4. Points of dispute and misinformation to watch for
Some social posts and images have circulated claiming to show Fordham report cards or other documents; Reuters fact‑checking found no evidence that certain viral images were authentic and reiterated Fordham’s account of a two‑year stay before the transfer [2]. Readers should treat unverified images or purported transcripts with skepticism unless they come directly from institutional archives cited by credible outlets [2].
5. What sources do not settle
Available sources document that Trump attended Fordham then Wharton, but do not provide exhaustive detail about his course schedule, grades at Fordham, or the precise administrative paperwork around the transfer beyond the generalized two‑year account [2] [1]. If you seek semester‑by‑semester transcripts or internal admissions files, those documents are not cited in the reporting provided here [2].
6. How this fits in broader reporting about Trump’s education
Profiles and analyses routinely use the Fordham→Wharton path to explain Trump’s formative years: Fordham offered a local start in New York, Wharton provided the business credential he amplifies, and both institutions appear in multiple retrospectives of his early life [1] [7]. Academic and political commentators sometimes link his Wharton degree to later claims of business expertise while noting his preference for highlighting Wharton in public remarks [1] [7].
7. Practical takeaway for readers
The factual claim — that Donald Trump started at Fordham and then transferred to Wharton — is supported by university statements and mainstream fact‑checking [2] [1]. Treat social‑media images or single‑source claims about grades with caution; rely on institutional confirmations and reputable outlets for the basic chronology [2] [1].
Limitations: this summary uses only the provided reporting; it does not include any primary transcripts or new archival material beyond what Reuters, Fordham reporting and contemporary profiles published [2] [1].