Where Did Pete Hegseth Go to College? Inside His Ivy League Education
Pete Hegseth has been outspoken about elite universities — but his own college background might surprise some people.
Published March 4 2026, 12:50 p.m. ET
When people hear about Pete Hegseth, it’s often linked to his time in the military, his years on television, or his role leading the U.S. Department of Defense. Like many public figures, however, curiosity about his background tends to follow close behind. People want to know what qualifies a man like Pete to hold the position he has.
That curiosity often leads to one simple question: Where did Pete Hegseth go to college? Turns out, his path to national politics includes time at two well-known Ivy League institutions with an educational background that sometimes surprises people given his outspoken views on higher education.
Keep reading as we take a closer look at his educational background.
Where did Pete Hegseth go to college? He attended Princeton University before earning a degree at Harvard.
According to the University of Virginia, Pete attended Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics in 2003. The Ivy League school became an important starting point for several aspects of his later career, including his military service and involvement in political debate.
While at Princeton, per The Daily Princetonian, Pete joined the Reserve Officers’s Training Corps, commonly known as ROTC, months before the September 11 attacks. After graduating, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, launching a military career that later included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pete was also involved in several activities during his time at Princeton. He played for the university’s men’s basketball team and became publisher and editor-in-chief of The Princeton Tory, a student publication known for promoting conservative viewpoints on campus.
His role at The Princeton Tory gave him an early platform for political commentary. According to The Daily Princetonian, Pete was known for being outspoken about his views and for participating in debates about politics and culture during his years at the university.
He later earned a master’s degree from Harvard University.
After his undergraduate studies and the beginning of his military career, Pete went on to pursue graduate education at Harvard University. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the university’s Harvard Kennedy School.
Pete completed the program while also working in veterans’s advocacy. Around that time, he was involved with Vets for Freedom, a group that supported continued U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In later years, despite his educational background, Pete became increasingly critical of elite universities, including Harvard itself. During television appearances on Fox News, he argued that some universities promote ideological viewpoints he strongly disagrees with.
At one point, Pete even said he planned to send his Harvard diploma back to the university as a symbolic protest. While speaking about the issue, he referred to Harvard as a place that promotes what he described as "critical theory." He took issue with the political biased in higher education.
Despite his outspoken criticism, Pete’s academic background includes two of the most recognizable universities in the United States. His time at Princeton and Harvard helped shape the early stages of his career before he moved into media, advocacy, and government leadership.