Noah Schnapp, best known for playing Will Byers in the hit series ‘Stranger Things’, has graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with a bachelor’s degree. The 21-year-old shared photos and videos from his graduation ceremony on Instagram on Monday, May 18, marking the end of a chapter he has spoken about openly throughout his time on the show.In his post, Schnapp shared a shot of himself in his cap and gown alongside his twin sister Chloe and their parents, Karine and Mitchell Schnapp. Another photo showed him in front of the commencement stage, along with a video of his name being called as he walked across the stage to accept his diploma. He captioned the post with one of Elle Woods’ most well-known lines from ‘Legally Blonde’: “What, like it’s hard???”
How Noah Schnapp balanced college with his acting career
Schnapp previously told Vogue in December 2022 that he attended in-person classes at the Ivy League institution until ‘Stranger Things’ producers needed him on set, at which point he planned to switch to virtual schooling. Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter in December 2025, he reflected on how education had always been a priority throughout his career.“Growing up, education was always so important. Even on set, I went through so many different teachers,” he told the outlet. “My parents were like, ‘He’s not being educated well enough. He needs a math teacher and a different English teacher.'”He added that attending college was never really in question. “It was never really a question whether I would go to college or not, just more of what I would study. I knew I wanted to be an actor, but I wasn’t rushing it. I wanted to have my childhood and get all those experiences first before rushing into everything and losing the sense of normal life.”
What graduating means for Noah Schnapp’s next chapter
According to Schnapp, the decision to attend college required him to put certain projects on hold in order to prioritise his studies. But the timing of his graduation, coinciding with the finale of ‘Stranger Things’, has made the moment feel particularly significant.“Now it’s interesting because I’m graduating in a few months at the same time the finale is coming out. So all these chapters of my childhood are closing, and now I’m stepping into a brand new world of anything can happen. It’s equally terrifying and exciting,” he said.The actor also shared that stepping away from the entertainment industry for periods of time gave him the chance to explore other creative interests. “All I’ve really known is acting,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s helped me explore and learn about other facets, taking screenwriting and directing classes and being like, ‘OK, maybe I actually want to write a movie for myself, or maybe I want to direct something.‘ So it’s really piqued my interest outside of the acting world that I could do that too at some point.”
