Venus Williams hasn’t retired, but one day she will enter the International Tennis Hall of Fame having done something Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf never accomplished. Venus graduated from college.

Around 2011, Venus wanted to add a business degree to bolster her entrepreneurial ambitions. She searched for an online degree program with the flexibility to meet her globe-trotting schedule. She chose Indiana University East, a regional college in Richmond, Indiana.

Williams graduated from IUE with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in August, 2015. She was the first player to earn her degree through the collaboration between the WTA, the Women’s Tennis Benefit Association, and IUE. Thanks in part to Venus, many WTA players are graduating from the IUE program, which is transforming how these female athletes prepare for life beyond the baseline.

Last week, Kayla Day received a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Day, winner of the 2016 U.S. Open junior title, participated in the IUE Class of 2025 spring commencement ceremony in Richmond.

Some players, especially those on tour, can’t make it to the on-campus commencement. No problem; the WTA and IUE accommodate these players by creating off-campus or virtual graduation celebrations that capture the fulfillment, pride and achievement of earning a college degree. In 2021, Magda Linette, Nicole Melichar, Shelby Rodgers and Teodora Mircic received their degrees at a cap and gown ceremony held at the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament in Mason, Ohio, a little more than an hour south of the IUE campus.

“Student athletes have proven to be better students because of the discipline, you know, the routines they have,” said IUE Chancellor Dennis Rome, in an interview with Forbes.com. “This translates over into real-life successful practices that will help them advance in work and careers and family and everything. So it’s that type of student demographic that really enhances institutional enrollment and retention.”

Day chose to attend the on-campus commencement, march with her class and experience all the “Pomp and Circumstance.”

“While it was a challenge to manage both things simultaneously, this degree will help me prepare now for my future life after tennis,” said Day. “I am very proud to complete my studies because now that I have finished my career, I have many opportunities ahead of me.”

Day’s degree is psychology, the second most popular major for WTA players. Business administration is No. 1. Communications is also a popular major with WTA players.

Venus could have gone without a degree, having earned more than $42 million in career prize money and possessing an investment portfolio that includes minority ownership in the Miami Dolphins. However, Venus valued merging education with practical application.

“It was always my dream to have a business degree, and I ended up going to art school so many times, but in the back of my head I felt like I needed the tools to be a better leader, to be a better planner, to be better at all of the things I wanted to do in my businesses because I’m so hands-on,” said Venus in 2015.

Since Venus enrolled at IUE, 30 WTA players have earned degrees, including 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, Caroline Dolehide, Cici Bellis, Irina Falconi, Christina McHale and Marie Bouzkova.

Stephens graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications three months after she won the U.S. Open. She’s putting that degree to use as a studio analyst with the Tennis Channel and as part of TNT Sports coverage of the 2025 French Open.

WTA Players Differ From Traditional Student Athletes

Indiana University East has a women’s tennis team, but the Red Wolves’ best players aren’t on it. The best female tennis players currently enrolled at IUE will be competing in the French Open. This includes 2019 U.S. Open Champion Bianca Andreescu, No. No. 16 Amanda Anisimova, and Kaja Juvan. Red Wolf alums Dolehide, Bouzkova and Linette will also play at Roland Garros.

The Red Wolves play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), under the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), the governing body of college tennis. The ITA oversees men’s and women’s NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, and Junior College tennis. Those programs are subject to rules for amateur athletes. The WTA-IUE partnership is unaffiliated with the ITA.

The WTA-IUE partnership is part of a player development program, a WTA member benefit. Tom Livengood, WTA Vice President of Player Development and Member Education, said enrollment in the program continues to grow.

“Sometimes players might need to take a semester or two off for various reasons, but the general number continues to increase on how many enroll per term,” said Livengood. “Although we provide information about the program during new member orientation, word of mouth accounts for much of the recruiting. Hearing it from a peer, from a former player or a current player, is really going to help them put it (the program) into perspective.”

The university goes out of its way to accommodate WTA players. The school offers rolling admission, eight-week sessions, including between semesters. Academic advisors are available to FaceTime with players in Europe for the clay-court season.

However, the players must meet the same qualifications and requirements as any student. When they log in for class, they aren’t identified as professional tennis players. When in class, WTA players are just another student.

“With athletes with their schedules, in order for them to be able to engage in higher education, a traditional format, you know, having a fall or spring admittance and so on don’t necessarily work with the schedule. So a hybrid approach is more appropriate for that type of student,” said Rome. “So in order to meet the demands of that demographic, we had to look at a different types of scheduling.”

The WTA-IUE partnership is a win for players and the university, a small regional school with an enrollment of fewer than 4,000 students.

“We’re attracting more international students,” said Rome. “And for our students, many who have not lived or traveled out of the region, to be exposed to different cultures, having a classmate who’s fluent in a foreign language and so on, just adds value to the academic experience here for our students.”

WTA Empowering Female Athletes Through Education

The IUE partnership is one of several WTA player development educational programs designed to empower female athletes. The University of Florida offers discounts for master’s degree and graduate certificates from the College of Health and Human Performance and the College of Journalism and Communications.

In May, Anna Tatishvili, who reached a career-high No. 50, received her master’s degree in journalism and communications from UF. Tatishvili got her undergraduate degree at IUE.

“After completing my bachelor’s degree at Indiana University East, I felt more confident and better prepared for life beyond professional tennis,” said Tatishvili. “The program helped me grow personally and professionally, giving me the tools to evolve and understand myself outside of sport. I decided to continue my education and pursue my master’s degree at the University of Florida because I wanted to expand my knowledge even further and continue developing as a professional.”

Tatishvili celebrated her graduation in New York and posted a thanks to her “WTA family” on Instagram with a video of her tossing her cap into the air.

Not every player has a long or profitable career. Some players struggle to make the main draw at WTA Tour-level events and languish on the ITF Tour. Others battle illness and injury. A college degree is a solid plan B.

Victoria Duval was a 17-year-old qualifier ranked No. 298 when she upset the No. 11 seed and 2011 U.S. Open Champion Sam Stosur in the first round of the 2013 U.S. Open. Duval’s win made highlights and headlines. She appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The following year, Duval was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After surviving cancer, Duval returned to tennis in 2016, playing on and off the ITF Tour. She’s currently listed as inactive.

In 2021, Duval graduated summa cum laude from IUE with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

“I believe that acquiring a degree is important to obtain better opportunities in life and it’s an accomplishment you will be proud of,” Duval told WTA communications staff. “I took classes while playing tennis professionally and graduated summa cum laude, so it can be done even if you have a busy life.”

Other WTA educational programs include University of Palermo (Italy) 75-100 percent scholarships for short courses, online undergraduate and MBA degrees (in Spanish); Harvard Business Crossover (certificate) program, subject to acceptance and the Morgan Stanley Access to What Moves You, a financial literacy program.

Although the ATP also partners with IUE, more WTA players are taking advantage of the program. This tracks with U.S. graduation rates. Women between the ages of 25 and 34 are more likely than men in the same age group to have a bachelor’s degree, according to the Pew Research Center.

ATP Tour doubles specialist Rajeev Ram graduated from IUE in 2018. Ram partnered with fellow-Red Wolf, Venus to win the silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Venus Serves As Trailblazer From Baseline to Boardroom

Venus is a trailblazer from the courts to the boardroom. Her first book, “Come to Win,” is about business, not tennis. She started a clothing line, Eleven, before becoming a Lacoste ambassador. She owns an Interior Design Firm, V Starr Interiors. In 2024, she launched an AI design platform, Palazzo.

Being the catalyst for the the WTA-IUE partnership solidifies Venus’s legacy of empowering female athletes. Her impact on equal prize money enables WTA players to achieve financial independence. Despite never reaching a Grand Slam final, Kontaveit, Linette and Rodgers have earned more career prize money than Pam Shriver, who is in the hall of fame.

As one of the sport’s highest-profile players, Venus’s advocacy for education and entrepreneurial endeavors demonstrates to other players that female athletes can —and should — graduate from college during or after their playing days. Venus pursued intellectual and personal growth, redefining what it means to be a successful tennis player.