What College Did Barack Obama Attend?

By Staff WriterLast Updated December 10, 2023

Barack Obama attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, California for two years before transferring to Columbia University in New York, where he earned a degree in political science; he later studied law at Harvard Law School. Prior to attending law school, Barack Obama worked as a community organizer for low-income neighborhoods in Chicago.

While attending Harvard Law School, he met his future wife, Michelle Robinson, when working as an intern for the Sidley Austin law firm. After graduating and passing the bar exam, Barack Obama was employed as a civil rights lawyer at the Miner, Barnhill & Galland law firm. He also worked part-time at the University of Chicago law school, working as a lecturer and professor.