Did Taylor Swift Go to College? The Truth—and What She Reportedly Paid for Her Masters

Taylor Swift never did the college thing. She finished high school early, skipped the dorms and lecture halls, and years later wound up holding an honorary doctorate from NYU anyway. Oh, and there is a nine-figure chapter in the masters saga. Here is the straight-to-the-point version, with the messy parts untangled.

The short answer on college

Swift did not attend college and she does not have a traditional master’s degree. She wrapped up high school ahead of schedule so she could work full time on music, then much later accepted an honorary doctorate from New York University.

'I never got to have the normal college experience... I went to public high school until tenth grade and finished my education doing homeschool work on the floors of airport terminals.'

School and the early grind

• Full name: Taylor Alison Swift; born in West Reading, Pennsylvania.
• Early education: Montessori preschool/kindergarten run by the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis; Wyndcroft School in Pottstown for elementary.
• Middle/high school (Pennsylvania): Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.
• Early artistic track: Musical theater kid, performing at local festivals and with Berks Youth Theatre Academy; also took vocal and acting lessons in NYC.
• Early breaks: Modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch, landed on a Maybelline compilation CD, and signed an artist development deal with RCA Records at 13.
• High school (Tennessee): Started at Hendersonville High School, then switched to Aaron Academy to homeschool so she could tour and record.
• Graduated one year early to focus fully on music.

The honorary doctorate (and the jokes)

In May 2022, New York University handed Swift an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (honoris causa) at commencement inside Yankee Stadium, and she gave the graduation speech. She leaned into the bit, joking that she was mostly there because she has a song called '22' and that NYU had made her a doctor 'on paper,' just not the kind you want in an emergency.

To be crystal clear: an honorary degree is a symbolic nod to someone’s impact; it is not earned through coursework. Swift did not study at NYU or attend any college classes.

The substance of her speech hit community and boundaries. She talked about how none of us makes it alone, describing each person as a patchwork of the people who helped along the way. She also offered the practical life tip to decide what is yours to carry and let the rest go.

At the time, her then-partner Joe Alwyn called the recognition 'an incredible honor' in an interview with Extra.

Why NYU picked her

NYU had already been in a Swift headspace earlier that year. The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music launched a course focused on her catalog, songwriting, and business moves, with wider conversations about gender, race, and fandom dynamics in the industry.

In its press materials, the university highlighted her stats as they stood then: an 11-time Grammy winner and, notably, the only female artist to have won Album of the Year three times.

About those masters

The ownership trail is famously complicated, so here is the clean version. Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings sold Swift’s original masters to Shamrock Capital in 2020. According to Billboard, Swift later acquired those masters from Shamrock for approximately $360 million, a price described as relatively close to what Shamrock originally paid. In a note to fans, she said she was basically crying happy tears and that the music she made now belonged to her.

Do we call her Dr. Swift?

No. There is no sign she uses 'Dr. Swift' publicly, on social media, or at events. Honorary doctorates do not require you to change your nameplate anyway.

Where to listen

Every Taylor Swift album is on the usual suspects: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.