Elon Musk studied at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, for two years, then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, which says it awarded him bachelor's degrees in physics and economics on May 19, 1997. No Stanford degree appears in the records reviewed. Accounts differ on the graduation year (1995 in early biographies, 1997 in Penn's statement) and on whether the Wharton degree is called economics or business.
Key takeaways
- Queen's University: the student newspaper lists him there from 1989 to 1991, for first and second year, and describes him as an alumnus but not a graduate.
- Penn's public affairs office stated that both degrees were awarded on May 19, 1997, with economics concentrations in finance and entrepreneurial management.
- Early biographical filings gave 1995 as the graduation year; Musk has attributed the gap to a pending History and English credit.
- Tesla's 2026 proxy statement describes a B.A. in Physics and a B.S. in Business from the Wharton School, while the university uses the word economics.
- Details of his earlier schooling in South Africa and of his time in graduate study were not confirmed from primary records for this page.
Two years at Queen's
The Queen's Journal, the university's student newspaper, reported on March 28, 2025 that Musk attended Queen's from 1989 to 1991, completing his first and second years before moving to Penn. The paper lists him under the class year "Comm '94," a Commerce designation, and notes that the university counts him as an alumnus although he did not graduate there. Other biographical accounts say he entered in 1990, so the starting year is uncertain. The same article observes that Queen's has said little about the connection, with a 2013 Queen's Alumni Review feature as the main exception. Anyone citing a Queen's degree is mistaken: the record shows a transfer, not a graduation.
What Penn says it awarded
In 2019, a request from a critic of Musk prompted Penn's public affairs office to issue a statement that Musk earned a B.A. in physics and a B.S. in economics, with concentrations in finance and entrepreneurial management, both awarded on May 19, 1997. The statement was reproduced in a December 21, 2022 Snopes fact check, which rated the claim that Musk holds a physics degree from Penn as true. Penn's own physics center describes him as an alumnus of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and says that the annual Elon Musk Public Lecture is funded by an endowment given to the Center for Particle Cosmology in 2009, its first year.
Tesla's proxy statement, a filing with the SEC, gives a slightly different label. The 2026 proxy statement says Musk holds a B.A. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "Business" there refers to the Wharton school and its degree family. The university's own wording is economics.
Why 1995 and 1997 both appear
A 2002 PayPal filing, quoted by Snopes, said Musk received a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Economics in 1995. Journalist Ashlee Vance reported in the appendix of his 2017 biography that he called Penn's registrar and confirmed the degrees were granted in May 1997, two years later than Musk had stated. Musk's explanation, given to Vance and in a deposition in a 2009 lawsuit brought by Tesla founder Martin Eberhard, was that he had a History and English credit outstanding, put Stanford on deferment, and that Penn later dropped the requirement and released the degree in 1997. Snopes noted that the accounts of the delay were not entirely consistent with each other, and it described his statements about the date as imprecise. The disputed point is the year. The existence of the two Penn degrees is not in dispute in the records Snopes reviewed.
Timeline of what the records support
| Period | Event | Supporting source |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 to 1991 (some accounts say 1990 start) | Studies at Queen's University, first and second year, as a Commerce student | The Queen's Journal, March 28, 2025 |
| Early 1990s | Transfers to the University of Pennsylvania | The Queen's Journal, March 28, 2025 |
| 1995 | Year given in early filings and biographies for the degrees | PayPal filing quoted by Snopes |
| May 19, 1997 | Penn says the B.A. in physics and B.S. in economics were awarded | Penn public affairs statement, 2019, as reproduced by Snopes |
| 2009 | Endowment to Penn's Center for Particle Cosmology funds a public lecture | Center for Particle Cosmology, Penn |
| 2026 | Tesla proxy lists B.A. in Physics and B.S. in Business (Wharton) | Tesla proxy statement, SEC filing |
Checking a claimed credential
The case shows how a single biography line gets copied for decades. A few habits catch most errors.
- Prefer a statement from the awarding institution's registrar or public affairs office over a self-reported résumé.
- Compare the degree type and the date, because a transfer student can be described as a graduate of the first school.
- Treat early corporate filings as self-reported unless they cite a source.
- Look for words that differ between documents, such as business and economics, and ask which document is closer to the institution's own records.
- Separate an alumnus relationship from a degree, since Queen's counts Musk as an alumnus without a Queen's degree.
This page reports documented facts about a public figure's education only. It does not assess his business or political activity, and no private information beyond published records and statements is used.
FAQ
Did Elon Musk graduate from Queen's University?
No. The Queen's Journal reports that he completed two years there and then transferred to Penn, so Queen's considers him an alumnus but not a graduate.
Does Elon Musk have a Stanford degree?
No Stanford degree appears in the Penn statement or in Tesla's proxy statement, which lists only Penn degrees. He has said he put Stanford on deferment, and a Stanford record was not located for this page.
What degrees does Penn say he earned?
A B.A. in physics and a B.S. in economics, both dated May 19, 1997, according to the statement from Penn's public affairs office reproduced by Snopes.
Why does Tesla say business instead of economics?
The proxy statement names the Wharton School, where the economics degree sits, and uses the word business. The wording differs from Penn's statement, and the difference could not be explained from the filing.
Related reading
- What Musk has said on AI risk and regulation
- Phrases for asking about someone's schooling
- How education has been defined by scholars and policy papers
- Two studies that measured AI in higher education
More in AI Basics.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Elon Musk's time at Queen's is little to write home about, The Queen's Journal, March 28, 2025
- Does Elon Musk Have an Undergraduate Degree in Physics?, Snopes, December 21, 2022 (quotes the Penn statement, a 2002 PayPal filing, a deposition, and Ashlee Vance's biography appendix)
- Tesla, Inc. definitive proxy statement (DEF 14A), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026
- Elon Musk Public Lecture, Center for Particle Cosmology, University of Pennsylvania