The Top 10 College Movie Characters

About this article
After trying to make a list of the top ten college movie characters of all time, we realized that narrowing it down to ten might be impossible?so here is a collective list of the best characters to appear in college movies.
View available schools

Old

1 The Lambda Epsilon Omegas (Old School)

What's better than mish-mash group of sophomoric, middle-aged men who start their own college fraternity? Nothing. That's why the boys of Lambda Epsilon Omega are number one on this list.

2 The Delta House Fraternity (National Lampoon's Animal House)

Set in 1962 and released in 1978, National Lampoon's Animal House is the original 'college movie'. The Deltas were awesome because they not only led fraternity pledges on a debauchery-filled quest to have fun, they also inspired rebellious students everywhere.

3 The Nerds (Revenge of the Nerds)

Another oldie but goodie, Revenge of the Nerds was a movie that allowed 'the odd to get even.' The Nerds used their large brains and tech savvy to declare war on the nefarious jocks of the Alpha Beta Fraternity. By the end of the flick, the nerds somehow managed to win over the school and the uber-geek in all of us.

4 MIT's Blackjack Club (21)

About the Movie

Watch a Clip

Although they were not nearly as nerdy as the Tri-Lams from the Revenge of the Nerds, the MIT students from 21 were just as smart. They managed to take Vegas for millions in only a few months time.

5 The South Harmon Institute of Technology Students (Accepted)

It's a terrible thing when you can't get accepted to the college of your choice--unless you're a clever group of misfits who are able to bounce back and create a fake, yet functional school. Then, it's not so bad. The South Harmon Institute of Technology students make the list because they shook up the system and designed the most desirable college curriculum ever.

6 Van Wilder (National Lampoon's Van Wilder)

Van was a living legend with a sweet golf cart, a fab personal assistant and a coterie of admirers. 'Nuff said.

7 Will (Good Will Hunting)

If Will looks a little out of place on this list it's because he is. But, then again, there aren't many janitors who have photographic memories, genius-level intelligence, a knack for proving advanced mathematical theorems and the ability to fist fight.

8 Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)

About the Movie

Watch a Clip

Love her or hate her, Elle Woods had a lot going for her: she was president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl and most importantly, a natural blonde. She was also crafty enough to make it into Harvard Law and charming enough to score a poorly-made sequel.

9 Bobby Boucher (The Waterboy)

The socially inept Bobby Boucher may have had something wrong with his medulla oblongata, but this endearing mama's boy did know how to tackle football players (and The Colonel.) He also served up a mean cup of H20.

10 Thornton Meloni (Back to School)

Thornton Meloni is a self-made millionaire determined to teach his son a lesson about the importance of getting an education. Old man Meloni goes back to school and gets up to all sorts of hijinks but manages to pass with a solid D average.

Popular Schools

  • Online Programs Available
    1. Grand Canyon University

    Program Options

    Bachelor's
      • BA in Digital Film - Screenwriting
      • BA in Digital Film - Production
  • Online Programs Available
    2. Liberty University

    Program Options

    Master's
      • MFA: Script & Screenwriting: Feature Film
  • Campus and Online Programs
    3. Full Sail University

    Program Options

    Master's
      • Entertainment Business Masters - Campus
      • M.S. - Entertainment Business
    Bachelor's
      • Film Production Masters - Campus
      • Visual Arts Bachelors with Film Concentration - Campus
      • B.S. - Show Production
      • Business Bachelors with Entertainment Business Concentration - Campus
      • B.S. - Digital Cinematography
      • Audio Arts Bachelors with Audio Production Concentration - Online
  • Boston, MA

    Boston University

  • New York, NY

    New York University

  • Iowa City, IA

    University of Iowa

  • Stanford, CA

    Stanford University

  • Tallahassee, FL

    Florida State University

Featured Schools

Grand Canyon University

  • BA in Digital Film - Screenwriting
  • BA in Digital Film - Production

What is your highest level of education?

Liberty University

  • MFA: Script & Screenwriting: Feature Film

What is your highest level of education?

Full Sail University

  • Entertainment Business Masters - Campus
  • M.S. - Entertainment Business
  • Film Production Masters - Campus
  • Visual Arts Bachelors with Film Concentration - Campus

What is your highest level of education?