The nation’s youngest college student is Michael Kearney, who enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College when he was only 6 years, 7 months old. He made the Guinness Book of World Records after graduating from the University of South Alabama at age 10, earning a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. He followed that with a master’s in biochemistry, graduating at age 14 from Middle Tennessee State University.
He was homeschooled by his parents, especially his mother. He was diagnosed with ADHD and his parents declined to use the offered prescription of Ritalin. His younger sister, Maeghan, is also a child prodigy.
When Michael was four, he was given multiple-choice diagnostic tests for the Johns Hopkins precocious math program. Without having studied for the exam, Michael achieved a perfect score.
He finished high school at the age of six, and enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County, California, graduating at age 8 with an Associate of Science in Geology. He is listed in the Guinness Book as the world’s youngest university graduate at the age of ten, receiving a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama.
At 18 years old, he studied classical guitar with the renowned artist and teacher, Scott Beetley.
