A rumor circulating online as a screenshot of a Reddit post claimed U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris received a score of 78 on an IQ test while attending Howard University. The assessment platform Thomas defines IQ (or intelligence quotient) as "a standard score that shows how far above or below, his/her peer group an individual stands in mental ability."
For example, on Sept. 23, 2024, X user @PatrioticPizzas posted (archived) the screenshot showing the title, "Kamala's IQ Revealed." The user added, above the screenshot, "Kamala Harris had a 78 IQ when she attended Howard University." Harris graduated from the historically Black university in 1986. The post was viewed nearly 2 million times.
However this rumor was unfounded, meaning we investigated but found no demonstrable evidence to support the claims. We apply the unfounded rating to claims that lack evidence and originated as hearsay or speculation. Further, the unknown user who created the Sept. 23 Reddit post (archived) on the r/america subreddit later deleted it. The post also mentioned r/AskAnAmerican and now reads, "Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it."
Other users on Facebook, Instagram and X also reposted the screenshot. As one additional example, X user Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) — an account with more than 1.4 million followers — posted (archived) the screenshot and added, "I believe it," even though no evidence exists to support the story's claims.
The text of the unfounded story in the screenshot read as follows:
I went to Howard University and was in the same psychology class as Kamala Harris.
One of the topics we were learning about was IQ. Naturally, we all took an IQ test during one of the classes.
After that class, a couple of us were chatting about what we got. Most of us were around 115. Kamala comes up and goes "78…I'll take it! The maximum is 80 right?" Then she started laughing like a psychopath. I thought there was no way this b**** graduates.
She must have learned about the range that night, because the next day she comes up to the students she mentioned her score to and started venting about how she was distracted and didn't have her coffee and this and that. No Kamala, you're just an idiot. Everyone in the class thought she was weird.
For further reading, we previously reported about a false rumor claiming a document discovered in May 2019 revealed then-U.S. President Donald Trump scored 73 on an IQ test. That previous rumor revolved around a cobbled-together newspaper clipping that bore signs of intentional manipulation — the reason that claim received a false rating, as opposed to unfounded.