When Did Kanye West Drop Out Of College & Which University Did He Attend?
16 February 2022, 13:03 | Updated: 16 February 2022, 13:10
Kanye West’s first album ‘The College Dropout’ came after Ye dropped out of university - here’s the lowdown on his time at college.
Watch the official trailer of jeen-yuhs - A Kanye Trilogy on Netflix
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Kanye West is one of the most successful artists around and decided to commit to music full time after dropping out of university.
The ‘Donda’ rapper first rose to fame with his debut album ‘The College Dropout’ - which was named after his own experiences of leaving college to pursue music.
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Ye has dropped a new documentary on Netflix titled Jeen-Yuhs, which is a three-part series about the lead-up to, as well as the aftermath, of his 2004 debut album.
But when did Kanye drop out of college and which university did he attend?
Here’s what you need to know…
Which college did Kanye West attend?
Kanye received a scholarship to attend Chicago’s American Academy of Art in 1997, where he also began taking painting classes.
Soon after, Ye transferred to Chicago State University to study English - where his mother Donda was the Chair of the English Department.
Ye’s mum, Dr. Donda West, who sadly passed away in 2007, formerly spoke about her son’s decision to drop out of college in her book ‘Raising Kanye’.
She said: “It was drummed into my head that college is the ticket to a good life ... but some career goals don't require college.
“For Kanye to make an album called ‘College Dropout’ it was more about having the guts to embrace who you are, rather than following the path society has carved out for you."
When did Kanye West drop out of college?
Kanye dropped out of college in 1997 - the same year he began the school year.
Ye was 20 years old at the time of becoming a college dropout - where he decided his classes were interfering with his musical work.
He went on to release ‘The College Dropout’ album seven years later in 2004, which included hits such as ‘All Falls Down’, ‘Jesus Walks’, ‘Graduation Day’ and more.
Jeen-Yuhs is now streaming on Netflix.
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