He wears the green hat. He’s the taller, jumpier, and arguably more anxious brother of the world’s most famous plumber. But when you start digging into the lore of the Mushroom Kingdom, a weirdly specific question keeps popping up in fan forums and trivia nights: where did Luigi go to college? It feels like a joke. Why would a fictional Italian-American plumber from Brooklyn need a degree?
Well, it’s not just a joke.
If you’ve spent any time playing Mario Is Missing!—the infamous 1992 educational title—you know that the brothers are surprisingly well-traveled and articulate. However, the search for a specific university diploma is a wild goose chase through decades of manuals, cartoons, and off-handed remarks by Nintendo executives. Let's get one thing straight: Nintendo has never officially released a transcript for Luigi. There is no "University of Mushroom Kingdom" alumni magazine featuring him on the cover.
But that doesn't mean we don't have clues.
The Brooklyn Connection and the Ivy League Myth
For a long time, the prevailing theory was that the Mario Bros. were just blue-collar guys who skipped the quad for the crawlspace. The 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie gave us a grittier look at their life in Brooklyn. In that version, they aren't scholars. They are struggling small business owners fighting against the Scapelli Construction Company.
However, the "Brooklyn" era of Luigi’s life—specifically depicted in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!—suggests a higher level of technical proficiency than your average handyman. Luigi is often the one fixing the complex machinery. He’s the tinkerer. Some fans have pointed to the Brooklyn Technical High School as a likely alma mater for a young Luigi, given his aptitude for engineering and physics. While it’s not a college, in the lore of the late 80s, it provided the foundation for what many assumed was a formal education in mechanical engineering.
Then there’s the "Doctor" problem.
We’ve all seen Dr. Luigi. Released for the Wii U in 2013, this game explicitly shows Luigi in a lab coat, prescribing "L-shaped" pills to eradicate viruses. You don't just find a medical license in a Question Mark Block. To be a MD, Luigi would have had to attend a four-year undergraduate program followed by medical school.
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Examining the Dr. Luigi Credentials
People often ask if the "Doctor" title is just a costume. Honestly, it’s a fair point. Shigeru Miyamoto has famously stated that the characters are like a "troupe of actors" who take on different roles in different games. One day they are go-kart racers, the next they are professional golfers.
But if we take the Dr. Luigi persona as canon, we have to look at where a guy from Brooklyn would go to med school in the 80s or 90s. If he stayed local, SUNY Downstate or NYU would be the top contenders. But there’s a catch. Luigi is often portrayed as the more "intellectual" but fearful brother. He reads. He writes in a diary in Paper Mario. In Luigi’s Mansion, he uses incredibly sophisticated ghost-hunting technology developed by Professor E. Gadd.
Speaking of E. Gadd, the relationship there is more "mentor-student" than "boss-employee." It’s entirely possible that Luigi’s "college" was actually an informal, high-level apprenticeship under the leading scientist of the Mushroom Kingdom.
The Case for "The University of Video Games"
In the Nintendo GameCube era, specifically within the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series, there were often references to a "Custom Academy." In the Game Boy Advance version of Mario Tennis, players actually attend a school to hone their skills. While Luigi is a coach or a "pro" in these scenarios, it establishes that "College" exists in this universe as a place where you refine a craft.
Is it possible where did Luigi go to college is answered by a location we've already visited?
Some theorists point to Woohoo University from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. It’s a literal research institution located in the Beanbean Kingdom. It has labs, professors, and a student body. While Luigi visits the campus as an adult to save the world, the sheer comfort he shows in a lab setting suggests he might have spent some time in a lecture hall.
Why This Question Actually Matters to Fans
It sounds trivial. It’s not.
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The reason people care about Luigi’s education is that it defines his "Everyman" status. Mario is the hero; he’s the guy who just does things. Luigi is the guy who thinks about things. He’s the one who gets scared because he understands the stakes. That neuroticism is often associated with a "book-smart" personality.
When you look at the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie, we see the brothers starting their own business. They spent their life savings on a TV commercial. This is a classic "trade school" or "entrepreneurial" path. They are plumbers by trade, which usually involves an apprenticeship through a union, like the UA Local 1 in New York City. If Luigi went to "college," it was likely a community college where he took night classes in business management to help run the plumbing company while Mario focused on the marketing.
Misconceptions About the Plumber’s Degree
There is a persistent rumor that a manual for the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. mentions a degree. This is a total myth. I’ve looked through the scans. I’ve checked the translations. There is no mention of a Bachelor of Science.
What does exist is a reference in the Nintendo Power magazines from the early 90s suggesting the brothers grew up in a "tough neighborhood" where they had to learn to use their hands. This leans away from the "University Life" and toward the "School of Hard Knocks."
But let’s talk about the "L" on his hat. In some weird, non-canon circles, people joke it stands for "Liberal Arts." It doesn't. We know it stands for Luigi. But the fact that the joke exists shows that the audience perceives him as the "educated" one.
The Professor E. Gadd Factor
If we want to be serious about Luigi’s intellectual pedigree, we have to look at the Poltergust 3000.
Luigi isn't just a guy with a vacuum. He is a field researcher. In Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, he is working directly with E. Gadd to restore the Dark Moon pieces. This requires a knowledge of paranormal physics and mechanical repair.
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Where would one learn this?
- Apprenticeship: Directly under Elvin Gadd.
- Technical Institute: A specialized school in the Metro Kingdom (New Donk City).
- Self-Taught: Using the vast library seen in his various homes.
Honestly, the "Self-Taught" angle fits Luigi best. He’s a reluctant hero. He’s the guy who stays up late reading manuals so he doesn't mess up the next day. He doesn't need a diploma from Harvard to be the smartest person in the room—or at least the person best equipped to fix the sink.
Final Verdict on the Luigi Collegiate Mystery
So, where did Luigi go to college? The most accurate, factual answer is: Luigi did not go to a traditional college in any confirmed Nintendo game canon. He is a licensed plumber who likely followed a vocational path in Brooklyn, New York. His "Doctor" status is generally considered a career pivot or a "role" within the Nintendo troupe rather than a reflection of an earned Ph.D. or MD.
However, if you want to be "head-canon" accurate, his education comes from the streets of Brooklyn and the labs of the Beanbean Kingdom. He is a master of vocational arts.
If you are looking to "follow in Luigi's footsteps," you don't need an Ivy League application. You need a pair of overalls, a wrench, and the courage to face a haunted mansion even when your knees are shaking.
Actionable Insights for Mario Fans:
- Check the Manuals: If you own original NES or SNES games, read the lore sections of the manuals. They often contain "flavor text" about the brothers' lives in Brooklyn that never made it into the games.
- Play the RPGs: To see Luigi's personality and "intellect" shine, play the Mario & Luigi series or Paper Mario. This is where his character depth—and hints at his background—actually live.
- Visit New Donk City: In Super Mario Odyssey, the Metro Kingdom is the closest thing we have to a "home" for the brothers' original backstory. Look at the architecture and the "professional" vibe of the city to see where they would have been "educated."
- Explore Dr. Luigi: Check out the Wii U title (if you can find it) or the mobile Dr. Mario World to see the different "specializations" Luigi takes on, from technician to virologist.
The mystery of Luigi’s education is part of why he’s so relatable. He’s not a god or a super-soldier. He’s just a guy who knows how things work and tries his best to help his brother. Diploma or not, he’s clearly the brains of the operation.
Next Steps for Lore Hunters:
If you want to dive deeper into the brothers' history, look into the "Yoshi's Island" timeline. This reveals that the brothers were delivered by a stork, which complicates the "Brooklyn" origin story significantly. Understanding the split between the "Childhood in the Mushroom Kingdom" lore and the "Plumbers from Brooklyn" lore is the next logical step in mastering Mario history.