12 Celebs Who Help Pay For College Tuitions

Higher education can get pretty expensive, leaving some students struggling to pay the bills or catch up on student loans.

Thankfully, some famous faces are stepping in to help out those who are in need.

From setting up scholarship funds to building schools to even directly sending money through PayPal, celebrities like Taylor Swift and Beyonce are making sure their fans have what they need to complete their education.

These acts of kindness have an immeasurable positive impact on the lives of those in need.

The following celebs are helping make a difference.

1. Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe helped an aspiring actor achieve his dreams of attending the prestigious  London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art!

After three years of auditioning, student Harry Pritchard was finally accepted into the school but found himself unable to pay the tuition.

He started a GoFundMe, telling supporters that he and his low income family couldn’t afford the £13,799 tuition and he had already missed the scholarship deadline by the time he was accepted.

After raising thousands of dollars, Russell stepped in and donated  £2,741 to cover the rest of the tuition.

“Congratulations Harry. Looking forward to hear of your success. Thank you to everyone who got involved and gave this young bloke a lift and a helping hand, you are all lovely and brilliant,” Russell wrote on social media.

2. Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has come to the aid of fans in need on multiple occasions and in 2019, she helped superfan Ayesha Khurram after she posted on Tumblr that she was struggling to pay for tuition.

Just hours after making the post, Taylor sent about $4,800 to help cover the cost of the semester.

“Ayesha, get your learn on girl. I love you! Taylor,” she simply wrote in the note attached to the donation.

Taylor previously sent another fan $1,989, a nod to her album of the same name, to help repay her student loans.

3. Drake

Drake surprised University of Miami student Destiny James with a $50,000 scholarship while filming his music video for “God’s Plan.”

Destiny had been struggling financially after her father’s passing and thought she was going to appear in a video promoting the benefits of student scholarships. She was incredibly shocked to be on the receiving end of her own huge scholarship!

“Thanks to Drake, I’m probably stressing about classes and work, but I’m not stressing about tuition. I’m here to tell future ‘Canes to not be afraid of change and trust the process,'” Destiny told University of Miami News.

4. Beyonce

In 2017, Beyonce launched The Formation Scholars program, which aims “to encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious, and confident.”

The scholarship program provides aid to women studying creative arts, music, literature or African-American studies at Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Parsons School of Design, and Spelman College.

5. Nicki Minaj

Back in 2017, Nicki Minaj took to Twitter to offer financial assistance to her followers and ended up helping over 20 of her biggest fans.

Quite a few wrote in asking for help covering their tuition and Nicki said if she could get proof that they were keeping their grades up, she’d do it.

“Show me straight A’s that I can verify w/ur school and I’ll pay it. Who wants to join THAT contest?!?!🤷🏽‍♀️ Dead serious. Shld I set it up?” Minaj wrote.

Nicki did her part and ended up sending funds to quite a few of her college-going followers!

6. Rihanna

Back in 2016, Rihanna launched a Global Scholarship Program alongside her Clara Lionel Foundation in order to help aspiring college students from the Caribbean and South America  who plan to study in the United States.

Students are awarded between $5,000 to $50,000 for their future studies.

7. Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen helped send a superfan to beauty school! After she found out that Mercedes Edney was trying to raise funds to attend esthetician school but hadn’t reached her goal, she knew she had to step in. Chrissy donated over $5,500 to help cover the remaining costs listed on Mercedes’ YouCaring page.

“I’ve seen this be your passion for such a long time now. So excited to see you fulfill your dream!” Chrissy wrote along with her donation, according to NBC.

8. Eddie Redmayne

Eddie Redmayne knows it can be a struggle to live in London while attending drama school. That’s why Eddie says he helps out students as much as he can, especially those that write to him about their financial difficulties.

“I get letters from people trying to go to drama school and needing to pay their rent. And so that’s something I occasionally do. It’s impossibly expensive to live in London,” he told GQ.

9. 21 Savage

21 Savage teamed up with Get Schooled to launch a campaign to promote financial literacy among teens. During a 2018 appearance on “The Ellen Show,” the rapper gave 21 teens $1000 to start their own bank accounts and use towards educational pursuits.

“While my #1 song was called ‘Bank Account,’ growing up, I knew almost nothing about bank accounts. As I have gotten smarter about financial management, I realize how empowering it is to control your money rather than be controlled by it. I want to help kids with a background similar to mine to get smart about their money,” 21 Savage said in a press release.

10. Tyrese Gibson

Tyrese Gibson made a generous donation to Lorenzo Murphy’s college fund, after the student caught his attention on social media. Tyrese presented Lorenzo a $50,000 scholarship in order to attend Morehouse College.

He says he was inspired by radio host Tom Joyner, writing, “Why did I decide to put this young kid from Compton through college?? Because I #dream with my eyes OPEN and this year I watch this true legend get UP on stage and give the most moving speech about WHY he has raised and donated over 65 million dollars and put close to 30,000 african american kids into college and I decided at that MOMENT I needed to DO something.”

11. Lebron James

Lebron James started the I Promise School back in 2018 for at-risk kids in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. Not only do these students get a great start, they also have the chance to receive a full scholarship to the University of Akron thanks to the LeBron James Family Foundation.

12. Luke Bryan

During the eight year run of Luke Bryan’s “Farm Tour,” he gave out 50 college scholarships to deserving students in the communities where he performed.

Each year, students who came from a farming family or were planning on majoring in agriculture were given college funds, sourced from the proceeds of the tour.