List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom by education

This list of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom lists each Prime Minister by educational institutions attended.

As of March 2015, of the 53 Prime Ministers to date, 19 were educated at Eton College, seven at Harrow School, and six at Westminster School. Eight Prime Ministers to date have been educated at non-fee-paying schools; these include all five Prime Ministers to hold office between 1964 and 1997 (Wilson, Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher, Major).

26 Prime Ministers were educated at the University of Oxford (including 13 at Christ Church, Oxford), and 14 at the University of Cambridge (including 6 at Trinity College, Cambridge). Nine Prime Ministers were educated at Eton and Christ Church, including all three Prime Ministers to hold office between 1880 and 1902 (Gladstone, Salisbury, Rosebery).

Three Prime Ministers attended the University of Edinburgh, two attended the University of Glasgow, and two attended Mason Science College, a predecessor institution of the University of Birmingham. John Major was (as of 2015) the last Prime Minister not to have attended university.

Eleven Prime Ministers trained as barristers at the Inns of Court, including eight at Lincoln's Inn (including Disraeli, who attended but did not complete studies). Two Prime Ministers (Wellington and Churchill) completed officer training at military academies.

The Earl of Bute (Leiden Univ.): the only Prime Minister to attend a university outside the UK without having attended a UK university.  William Pitt the Younger (Pembroke, Cambridge): home schooled; went to Cambridge aged 14, graduated at 17, MP at 21, Prime Minister at 24.  W. E. Gladstone (Eton, Christ Church, Lincoln's Inn): attended the three institutions with most alumni Prime Ministers.  Margaret Thatcher (Somerville, Oxford): the only female PM, educated at an all-female school and college; studied Chemistry, the only PM with a science degree.  Gordon Brown (Edinburgh Univ.): the only Prime Minister to complete a PhD. Served as Rector of Edinburgh University 1973–1976, while still a student.

List of Prime Ministers of the UK by Education

Prime Minister	Term of office	School	University	Professional Training
Robert Walpole	1721–1742	Eton College	Cambridge (King's Coll.)
Spencer Compton Earl of Wilmington	1742–1743	St Paul's School	Oxford (Trinity Coll.)	Inns of Court: Middle Temple
Henry Pelham	1743–1754	Westminster School	Oxford (Hart Hall)
Thomas Pelham-Holles Duke of Newcastle	1754–1756 1757–1762	Westminster School	Cambridge (Clare Coll.)
William Cavendish Duke of Devonshire	1756–1757	—	—
John Stuart Earl of Bute	1762–1763	Eton College	Leiden University
George Grenville	1763–1765	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)	Inns of Court: Inner Temple
Charles Watson-Wentworth Marquess of Rockingham	1765–1766 1782	Westminster School	Cambridge (St John's Coll.)^?[1]
William Pitt the Elder Earl of Chatham	1766–1768	Eton College	Oxford (Trinity Coll.); Utrecht University[2]
Augustus FitzRoy Duke of Grafton	1768–1770	Westminster School	Cambridge (Peterhouse)
Frederick North	1770–1782	Eton College	Oxford (Trinity Coll.); Leipzig University
William Petty Earl of Shelburne	1782–1783	—[3]	Oxford (Christ Church)
William Cavendish-Bentinck Duke of Portland	1783 1807–1809	Westminster School	Oxford (Christ Church)
William Pitt the Younger	1783–1801 1804–1806	—[4]	Cambridge (Pembroke Coll.)	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
Henry Addington	1801–1804	Winchester College	Oxford (Brasenose Coll.)	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
William Grenville Lord Grenville	1806–1807	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)
Spencer Perceval	1809–1812	Harrow School	Cambridge (Trinity Coll.)	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
Robert Jenkinson Earl of Liverpool	1812–1827	Charterhouse School	Oxford (Christ Church)
George Canning	1827	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)
Frederick J. Robinson Viscount Goderich	1827–1828	Harrow School	Cambridge (St John's Coll.)
Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington	1828–1830 1834	Eton College	—	French Royal Academy of Equitation, Angers
Charles Grey Earl Grey	1830–1834	Eton College	Cambridge (Trinity Coll.)
William Lamb Viscount Melbourne	1834 1835–1841	Eton College	Cambridge (Trinity Coll.)
Robert Peel	1834–1835 1841–1846	Harrow School	Oxford (Christ Church)
John Russell Earl Russell	1846–1852 1865–1866	Westminster School	Edinburgh University
Edward Smith-Stanley Earl of Derby	1852 1858–1859 1866–1868	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)
George Hamilton-Gordon Earl of Aberdeen	1852–1855	Harrow School	Cambridge (St John's Coll.)
Henry John Temple Viscount Palmerston	1855–1858 1859–1865	Harrow School	Edinburgh University; Cambridge (St John's Coll.)
Benjamin Disraeli Earl of Beaconsfield	1868 1874–1880	Dr Cogan's School, Walthamstow	—	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
William Ewart Gladstone	1868–1874 1880–1885 1886 1892–1894	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil Marquess of Salisbury	1885–1886 1886–1892 1895–1902	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)
Archibald Primrose Earl of Rosebery	1894–1895	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)
Arthur Balfour	1902–1905	Eton College	Cambridge (Trinity Coll.)
Henry Campbell-Bannerman	1905–1908	High School of Glasgow	Glasgow University; Cambridge (Trinity Coll.)
Herbert Henry Asquith	1908–1916	City of London School	Oxford (Balliol Coll.)	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
David Lloyd George	1916–1922	Llanystumdwy National School	—
Andrew Bonar Law	1922–1923	High School of Glasgow	Glasgow University
Stanley Baldwin	1923–1924 1924–1929 1935–1937	Harrow School	Cambridge (Trinity Coll.); Mason Science College, Birmingham
Ramsay MacDonald	1924 1929–1935	Drainie School	—
Neville Chamberlain	1937–1940	Rugby School	Mason Science College, Birmingham
Winston Churchill	1940–1945 1951–1955	Harrow School	—	RMC Sandhurst
Clement Attlee	1945–1951	Haileybury College	Oxford (University Coll.)	Inns of Court: Inner Temple
Anthony Eden	1955–1957	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)
Harold Macmillan	1957–1963	Eton College	Oxford (Balliol Coll.)
Alec Douglas-Home Earl of Home	1963–1964	Eton College	Oxford (Christ Church)
Harold Wilson	1964–1970 1974–1976	Royds Hall Grammar School; Wirral Grammar School for Boys	Oxford (Jesus Coll.)
Edward Heath	1970–1974	Chatham House Grammar School	Oxford (Balliol Coll.)
James Callaghan	1976–1979	Northern Secondary School, Portsmouth	—	Civil Service: Inland Revenue
Margaret Thatcher	1979–1990	Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School	Oxford (Somerville Coll.)	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
John Major	1990–1997	Rutlish School	—	Correspondence course in banking
Tony Blair	1997–2007	Fettes College	Oxford (St John's Coll.)	Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn
Gordon Brown	2007–2010	Kirkcaldy High School	Edinburgh University
David Cameron	2010–	Eton College	Oxford (Brasenose Coll.)
Prime Minister	Term of office	School	University	Professional Training

References

1. J. M. Rigg, 'Watson-Wentworth, Charles, second Marquis of Rockingham (1730–1782)', Dictionary of National Biography, 1899, has him attending St John's College, Cambridge. However, there is no mention of him in Alumni Cantabrigienses, and the DNB is not followed in this detail by the Oxford DNB.
2. Pitt the Elder attended Utrecht 1728-1730.
3. Bloy, Dr Marjorie, A Web of English History: "He appears not to have had much education: in his autobiography, he noted, "From the time I was four years old till I was fourteen, my education was neglected to the greatest degree". He was sent to an ordinary school and then was taught by a tutor until he went to Christ Church, Oxford in 1755."
4. Pitt the Younger was tutored at home, until entering Cambridge at the early age of 14.