Like Taylor Swift, See Celebrities Who Earned Honorary Doctorates

The singer Taylor Swift, 32, receives this Wednesday (18) the honorary degree in Doctor of Fine Arts from New York University. But she is not the only celebrity to receive recognition for her significant contributions to the academic institution or the wider community.

In 2019, singer Justin Timberlake, 41, received an honorary doctorate from the Berkle School of Music in Boston. At the time, he shared a photo on social media and thanked him for the title. “Thank you Berklee College for this incredible honor – I am so humbled and grateful.”

Singer Aretha Franklin, who died aged 76 in 2018, has received several honorary doctoral degrees from prestigious schools, including Princeton University, Yale University, and Berklee College of Music. In 2014, Franklin was one of eight honorees at Harvard University’s graduation ceremony, where she received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree.

Presenter Oprah Winfrey, 68, has received honorary doctorates from several institutions, including international universities. Among the doctoral degrees she has received are those of Fine Arts from Princeton University (2022), Humane Letters from Duke University (2009) and Law from Harvard University.

Actress Meryl Streep, 72, graduated in 1975 from Yale University and was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by the institution in 1983. She has also earned honorary doctorates from the universities of Princeton (2009), Harvard ( 2010) and Indiana (2014).

After dropping out of college at age 20 to pursue a career in music, rapper Kanye West, 44, received an honorary doctorate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2015).