Fact check: What were Trump's college admission results and where did he attend?

1. Summary of the results

Donald Trump's college education path is well documented. He initially enrolled at Fordham University in 1964 ^[1], later transferring to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor's degree in economics/real estate ^{[2] [3]}. Despite claims of academic excellence, multiple sources indicate his performance was unremarkable. He was not listed on the Dean's List of top 56 students ^[4], and his GPA was likely below 3.4 ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements emerge from the analyses:

• Trump's admission to Wharton was facilitated by an interview with admissions officer James Nolan, who found "no evidence" of Trump's claimed "super genius" status ^[2]
• A former classmate, Louis Calomaris, described Trump as a middling student more focused on outside business activities than academics ^[5]
• His professor William T. Kelley reportedly made a notably harsh assessment of Trump's academic abilities ^[2]
• Trump was not listed among top honorees at commencement ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The most significant misinformation comes not from the question itself but from Trump's own claims about his academic performance:

• Trump has repeatedly claimed he graduated "first in his class" ^[4], which is contradicted by multiple pieces of evidence:
• His absence from the Dean's List ^[4]
• The lack of academic honors at graduation ^[2]
• His estimated GPA being below 3.4 ^[1]

Those benefiting from various narratives:

• Trump himself benefits from portraying his academic career as exceptional, supporting his image as a highly successful individual
• Political opponents benefit from highlighting the discrepancy between his claims and the documented evidence
• Academic institutions benefit from maintaining accurate historical records, regardless of the subject's later prominence