Bollywood Stars Who Studied Abroad

Indian students constitute a major percentage of the international population who go to countries like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany for higher studies. Our Bollywood stars are no exception. Many have pursued a degree from a revered academic university abroad before embarking on their journey in Bollywood. 

While we have always looked up to these celebrities in B-Town, little do we know about the Bollywood stars who studied abroad. Today, we take you through the Bollywood stars who studied overseas at some point of time in their life. 

1. Parineeti Chopra

After completing her education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Ambala, Parineeti moved forward to pursue her triple honors degree in Business, Finance, and Economics from the prestigious Manchester Business School, UK. She studied this program intending to make a career as an Investment Banker. She even worked as an investment banker in the UK before starting her career in Bollywood and captivating our hearts with her performances. 

2. Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bacchan is the next celebrity to make it to our list of Bollywood celebrities who studied overseas. Junior Bachchan belongs to a family of writers and actors and has a significant amount of education under his belt. He attended Jamnabai Narsee School and Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai. After that, he pursued an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Aiglon College, Switzerland. He also went to Boston University for higher studies but dropped out in between and made his debut in Bollywood in 2000. 

3. Kareena Kapoor Khan

Popularly known as Bebo, Kareena Kapoor Khan has been winning hearts with stellar performances. However, few know that she is among the few Indian celebrities to have studied at Harvard University. She completed her schooling at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and Welham Girls’ School in Dehradun. Later, she enrolled at Mithibai College of Commerce to study commerce but dropped out soon. After dropping out, she pursued a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard University in the United States of America.

4. Soha Ali Khan

The ever-elegant Soha Ali Khan is not just a phenomenal actress but also engages in social work and publishing books. After attending The British School in New Delhi, she pursued her undergraduate degree in History at Balliol College, Oxford. She has also earned a master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

5. Ranbir Kapoor

The next star on the list of Bollywood celebrities who attended foreign universities is everyone’s heartthrob and the ever-versatile actor Ranbir Kapoor. Despite belonging to a lineage of cinema royalty, he did not solely depend on his family’s reputation. After completing his pre-university education at Mumbai’s H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, he shifted to New York to study film-making at the School of Visual Arts. He also pursued Method Acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in the United States of America. 

6. Ameesha Patel

After completing her schooling at Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, Ameesha Patel moved to Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA, to pursue Bio-genetic engineering. However, after studying it for two years, she switched to Economics. Post her graduation, she was also working as an economic analyst for Khandwala Securities Limited. Later, Rakesh Roshan spotted her at a wedding and offered her a role in ‘Kaho Naa….Pyaar Hai’. She turned down the job offer from Morgan Stanley to pursue her acting career in Bollywood. 

7. Ranveer Singh

The ever-vibrant and energetic Ranveer Singh remains in the news for his unique dressing sense and exciting movie projects. However, few know that he is also a well-qualified man and one of those Bollywood stars who studied abroad. He pursued his Bachelor’s degree in Arts from Indiana University, Bloomington, in the USA.

8. Sara Ali Khan

The chirpy and vivacious girl Sara Ali Khan has become the sweetheart of India, thanks to an astounding performance in her debut film, Kedarnath. The actress is an Ivy League graduate who always demonstrates how a person can develop a holistic character through the power of education. Before starting her acting career, she completed her graduation from Columbia University, New York in 2016. 

9. Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor, a fashion diva with a defined class in Bollywood, needs no introduction. However, many people are unaware that she is one of the Bollywood celebrities who attended foreign universities. She owns an International Baccalaureate from the United World College of South East Asia, Singapore, where she pursued Arts and Theater. She is also a proud postgraduate degree holder in Economics and Politics from the University of East London. 

10. Randeep Hooda

The actor best known for bringing the best emotions on-screen is a management graduate. Hooda completed his schooling at Delhi Public School, New Delhi, and moved to Melbourne for his higher studies. He pursued his bachelor’s degree in marketing management and master’s in Human Resource Management from the University of Melbourne. 

11. Saif Ali Khan

While looking at the academic background of the current Nawab of Pataudi, it is proved that Saif Ali Khan lives a king-size life. After spending a brief time of his student life at Lawrence School, Sanwar, Himachal Pradesh, Saif Ali Khan moved to England to study at Lockers Park School. After that, he graduated from Winchester College, Hampshire, UK. 

12. Imran Khan

The actor, with an endearing smile, Imran Khan completed his schooling at Fremont High School in California. Following his passion for direction, he later attended Filmmaking at New York Film Academy, Los Angeles. After that, he returned to Mumbai and joined Kishore Namit Kapoor’s acting institute to gain training as an actor. 

13. Varun Dhawan

Ever since his debut in the movie ‘Student of the Year,’ Varun Dhawan has been winning hearts with his back-to-back stellar performances and proving his mettle in acting. Besides being an astounding actor, he was a bright student who scored 82% in his 10th standard and held a foreign degree. After completing his schooling at Bombay Scottish School, Mumbai, Dhawan pursued his Bachelor’s in Business Management at Nottingham Trent University, England.

14. Tusshar Kapoor

The son of the popular Bollywood actor, Jitendra, Tusshar Kapoor was shot to fame after his memorable performance in the iconic movie ‘Golmaal’. While the actor has already made a mark for himself in the industry, he is also one of the few famous Indians who studied at top universities. Talking about his education, he attended Bombay Scottish School, Mumbai. Being a good student, he decided to pursue his BBA at Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Later on, he completed an MBA from the University of Michigan. After completing his degree, he returned to India and embarked on his Bollywood journey to make his debut opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan in ‘Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hain.’

15. Janhvi Kapoor

Ever since the release of her debut film, ‘Dhadak’, Janhvi Kapoor has been gaining endless popularity by gifting some of the best movies to audiences. Having grown up in Mumbai, she completed her high school and intermediate education at Dhirubhai International School and then shifted to Los Angeles, USA. She opted for a course in theater and acting from The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and then returned to Mumbai to pursue her career in acting. 

While studying abroad does not guarantee that everyone will receive fame, all the above-mentioned celebrities pursued their degrees in search of better opportunities and excellent education, which turned out to be an experience of a lifetime.