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President Trump wears a red hat and a suit and tie

President-elect Trump’s nominees to fill key cabinet and agency posts have attended a variety of colleges.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to crack down on elite universities, vowing he would reclaim colleges from the “radical left.”

But, as he has looked to fill his cabinet and agency leadership team, he’s turned to graduates of those same universities, at times touting their educational backgrounds. For instance, when he tapped Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, to be the next ambassador to the United Nations, he noted that she “graduated from Harvard University, with honors.”

So far, Trump has appointed 35 people to lead departments and agencies or serve in key ambassadorial roles—positions that are subject to Senate confirmation. Together, they have 65 degrees from 46 institutions. All of the picks except one have bachelor’s degrees, while 14 went to law school. Another five went to medical school.

The appointees went to small private liberal arts colleges and public land-grant institutions, among other types. Two graduated from for-profit colleges. About 25 percent of the appointees attended an Ivy League university. Harvard awarded seven of the degrees—the most of any college on the list thus far.

Read on for more about the educational backgrounds of Trump’s top appointees. This article will be updated as more picks are announced.

Cabinet Nominees

Scott Bessent

Treasury Secretary
College: Yale University

Pam Bondi

Attorney General
Colleges: University of Florida and Stetson University College of Law

Doug Burgum

Interior Secretary
Colleges: North Dakota State University and M.B.A. from Stanford University

Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Labor Secretary
College: California State University, Fresno

Doug Collins

Veterans Affairs Secretary
Colleges: University of North Georgia, master of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and John Marshall Law School

Sean Duffy

Transportation Secretary
Colleges: St. Mary’s University and Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Pete Hegseth

Defense Secretary
Colleges: Princeton University and master of public policy from Harvard University

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Health and Human Services Secretary
Colleges: Harvard University, master of environmental law from Pace University and University of Virginia Law School

Howard Lutnick

Commerce Secretary
College: Haverford College

Linda McMahon

Education Secretary
College: East Carolina University

Kristi Noem

Homeland Security Secretary
College: South Dakota State University

Brooke Rollins

Agriculture Secretary
Colleges: Texas A&M University and University of Texas School of Law

Marco Rubio

Secretary of State
Colleges: University of Florida and University of Miami School of Law

Scott Turner

Housing Secretary
College: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Chris Wright

Energy Secretary
College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology for bachelor’s and master’s degrees

Cabinet-Level and Agency Nominees

Paul Atkins

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman
Colleges: Wofford College and Vanderbilt University School of Law

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya

Director of National Institutes of Health
College: Stanford University for bachelor’s degree, doctor of philosophy and M.D.

Frank Bisignano

Social Security Commissioner
College: Baker University

Daniel Driscoll

Army Secretary
Colleges: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale Law School

Tulsi Gabbard

Director of National Intelligence
College: Hawaii Pacific University

Jared Isaacman

NASA Administrator
College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Kelly Loeffler

Small Business Administration Administrator
Colleges: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and M.B.A. from DePaul University

Billy Long

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner
College: Attended but didn’t graduate from University of Missouri

Dr. Martin Makary

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner
Colleges: Bucknell University, master of public health from Harvard University and Thomas Jefferson University for M.D.

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat

Surgeon General
Colleges: University of South Florida and American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine

Dr. Mehmet Oz

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator
Colleges: Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania for M.B.A. and M.D.

Kash Patel

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director
Colleges: University of Richmond, Pace University School of Law and certificate in international law from University College London

John Phelan

Navy Secretary
Colleges: Southern Methodist University and M.B.A. from Harvard University

John Ratcliffe

Central Intelligence Agency Director
Colleges: University of Notre Dame and Southern Methodist University School of Law

John Sauer

Solicitor General
Colleges: Duke University, master’s degree from University of Notre Dame and Harvard Law School

Elise Stefanik

Ambassador to the United Nations
College: Harvard University

Russell Vought

Office of Management and Budget Director
Colleges: Wheaton College and George Washington University Law School

Dr. Dave Weldon

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director
Colleges: Stony Brook University, SUNY and University at Buffalo, SUNY for M.D.

Matthew Whitaker

NATO Ambassador
College: University of Iowa for bachelor’s, M.B.A. and law school

Lee Zeldin

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Colleges: SUNY Albany and Albany Law School

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