Meet Zach Yadegari—18-year-old millionaire entrepreneur—turned down by Harvard, MIT, Stanford
What's the story
Zach Yadegari, an 18-year-old tech prodigy and millionaire, has been rejected by several prestigious American universities. Although he boasts a stellar academic record with 4.0 GPA and a successful start-up, he was still denied admission to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and MIT, among others. The New York-based teen, whose AI firm Cal AI generates $30 million in annual revenue, took to X to reveal the colleges that rejected his application.
Early start
Yadegari's journey into the world of tech and entrepreneurship
Yadegari's foray into tech started at a tender age. He began coding at just seven, and launched his first app at 12. By 16, he had already exited from a successful online gaming business. His latest venture, Cal AI, was launched during his high school junior year. The app uses AI to track calories from food images and quickly became the fastest-growing in its category with millions in revenue.
Personal reflection
College admissions essay sparks interest
While the low acceptance rate shocked many netizens, some blamed it on his college admissions essay, where Yadegari had written that higher education was unnecessary. "This essay was really f#$king bad bro. It's probably why you were denied by all these schools," a user wrote in response. "If this is how you presented to MIT, I can see why it might want to reject you," wrote another user.
Twitter Post
Yadegari's post lists the colleges that rejected him
My personal statement pic.twitter.com/X0SOwcpMzU
— Zach Yadegari (@zach_yadegari) April 1, 2025
Scenario
Securing admission to Georgia Institute of Technology
Yadegari's perspective toward higher education changed after a visit to Ryoan-ji rock garden in Kyoto. As he writes in his essay, he came to see college as an opportunity to learn rather than an obstacle. While he was rejected by several top-tier institutions, Yadegari did get into the Georgia Institute of Technology, one of America's top engineering colleges. He also got into the University of Miami.