Where Did the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Go to College?

Today, they’re famous for stirring up trouble, but the stars of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills weren’t always famous for living lives of pampered luxury. Before they were flying around in private jets and buying multi-million-dollar homes, some of these ladies had lives that might look pretty similar to yours. And while having a college degree isn’t usually a prerequisite to reality TV stardom, a few of the Real Housewives are pretty well educated. Here’s what we know about where the real housewives of Beverly Hills went to college.

Camille Grammer

Season 1 favorite Camille Grammer will be back as a main cast member on Season 9 of RHOBH. The dancer, actress, producer, and ex-wife of actor Kelsey Grammer studied English literature at Montclair State College when she wasn’t working as a dancer, according to a 1993 article in the New York Times. She also attended NYU and UCLA. At one point, she wanted to go to dental school, but didn’t get in. 

Dorit Kemsley  

Dorit Kemsley has a bachelor’s degree in marketing, design, and communication, according to her Bravo TV bio. Her degree is from Quinnipiac University in her home state of Connecticut, according to Romper. After graduating, she spent a decade working for a swimwear company and eventually started her own fashion business.

Erika Girardi

Erika Girardi – aka Erika Jane – didn’t attend college, as far as we can tell. Instead, she headed to New York to pursue a career in the entertainment industry after graduating from Northside High School in Atlanta.

Kyle Richards  

Former child actress Kyle Richards is another real housewife who decided you didn’t need a degree to make it big. But her daughter Sophia just left home for college in Washington, D.C., while daughter Alexia recently graduated from Emerson College. Her oldest daughter Farrah has a degree from the University of Southern California.

Lisa Rinna

Actress and housewife Lisa Rinna grew up in Medford, Oregon, and graduated from Medford Senior High School. After that, she decided to skip the traditional college path and instead headed to San Francisco to work as a model. Eventually, she built a successful career as an actress on shows like Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place before joining the RHOBH.  

Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave

Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave is the daughter of rock star John Mellencamp and grew up in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She was a champion equestrian before moving to LA, worked at talent agencies like CAA and UTA, and eventually started a business as an accountability coach. She’s mentioned on the show that she attended college, but didn’t say where.

Denise Richards

Actress Denise Richards is joining the Real Housewives cast for Season 9. She graduated from El Camino High School in Oceanside, California, and attended Santa Monica College and UCLA.

Lisa Vanderpump  

Like Kyle Richards, restaurateur and actress Lisa Vanderpump also got her start as a child actress. She started attending drama school at age nine before getting married and building a successful restaurant business with her husband. Originally, she agreed to be on the show to promote her businesses, she told Glamour.