Noah Schnapp Graduates From UPenn as Stranger Things Heads for Its Final Chapter
Diploma in hand, Noah Schnapp graduates from the University of Pennsylvania and looks past Stranger Things, charting a future that reaches beyond acting.
Noah Schnapp just did the very normal, very big-life thing of graduating college — and yeah, it kind of marks the end of a huge era for him, too.
The moment
On May 18, the 21-year-old 'Stranger Things ' star picked up his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and shared the day on Instagram. He posted the classic cap-and-gown photos with his twin sister, Chloe, plus shots with his parents, Karine and Mitchell Schnapp. There’s also a clip of him walking the stage to grab the diploma. Family, friends, fans — everyone showed up in the comments.
- Date: May 18
- Age: 21
- School: University of Pennsylvania; bachelor’s degree
- What he shared: cap-and-gown pics with twin sister Chloe and parents Karine and Mitchell, plus a video of the on-stage diploma moment
- Why it feels bigger than a ceremony: this caps a chapter that started when he first landed in Hawkins as Will Byers on 'Stranger Things'
- How he juggled it: in-person classes at UPenn when possible, then switching to virtual any time 'Stranger Things' filming ramped up
Balancing classes with a hit show
Plenty of young actors skip college entirely. Schnapp didn’t. He actually did the commute-and-class thing at UPenn, then pivoted to online whenever production called. That flexibility wasn’t random — school was a big deal in his house, and his parents kept a close eye on his education, even when he was learning between takes.
"Growing up, education was always so important. Even on set, I went through so many different teachers."
"My parents were like, 'He's not being educated well enough. He needs a math [teacher] and a different English teacher.'"
That was Schnapp to The Hollywood Reporter in December 2025 — a nice little behind-the-scenes detail about how seriously his family took academics while he was filming.
The bigger picture
Graduation doesn’t just check a box; it feels like a clean handoff. He grew up in front of everyone as Will Byers, and now he’s walking off a stage with a diploma to show for the other half of his life. Wherever he aims next — more acting, new ventures, both — the school chapter is officially closed, and he earned it.