alumniOf

alumniOf · Not mentioned by Google

Appears in

Person

What is it?

alumniOf links a person to an educational institution or organization they graduated from or previously belonged to. It accepts an Organization or EducationalOrganization object, and supports arrays for people with multiple alma maters. The inverse property on Organization is alumni.

Why this matters for AEO

When a user asks "Where did [Person] go to school?" or "Which experts studied at [University]?", AI answer engines pull alumniOf to connect individuals to their educational backgrounds. This strengthens entity disambiguation: two people named "Sarah Chen" can be distinguished by their different alumniOf values. For author profiles, education credentials complement E-E-A-T signals from jobTitle and worksFor.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Expects EducationalOrganization or Organization. "An organization that the person is an alumni of." The inverse property is alumni on Organization. Source

Google: Not listed in Google's structured data documentation for Person. The ProfilePage specification covers only name, alternateName, description, identifier, image, agentInteractionStatistic, interactionStatistic, and sameAs. Source

How to find your value

• LinkedIn profile — Education section with school names
• Company about page — Founder/team bios with degrees
• Resume / CV — Educational institutions attended
• University alumni directories — Formal institution names

Format and code

Single institution:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Patrick Coombe",
  "alumniOf": {
    "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
    "name": "McCann School of Business",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCann_School_of_Business_%26_Technology"
  }
}

Multiple institutions (array):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Jay Holtslander",
  "alumniOf": [
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "Vancouver Film School"
    },
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "CodeCore Bootcamp"
    }
  ]
}

With dates using OrganizationRole:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Jane Martinez",
  "alumniOf": {
    "@type": "OrganizationRole",
    "alumniOf": {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "University of Cambridge"
    },
    "startDate": "2010"
  }
}

Use CollegeOrUniversity for degree-granting institutions. Use EducationalOrganization for bootcamps, trade schools, or non-degree programs. Use Organization for non-educational alumni relationships (e.g., former employer fellowships).

Common mistakes:

Using a plain string instead of an object is valid per schema.org but loses the ability to add sameAs, @id, or @type disambiguation. Always prefer the object form.

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add alumniOf in Page Settings > Custom Code (before </head>):

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Pavel Kurecka",
  "alumniOf": {
    "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
    "name": "Czech Technical University"
  }
}
</script>

CMS template pages

For team member or author pages with a plain text "University" field:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "{{wf {"path":"name","type":"PlainText"} }}",
  "alumniOf": {
    "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
    "name": "{{wf {"path":"university","type":"PlainText"} }}"
  }
}
</script>

In Schema HQ

Support is available for alumniOf in Person schema generation. Enter the institution name and type, and Schema HQ outputs the structured object with proper @type in the published JSON-LD.

Real examples

Patrick Coombe on patrickcoombe.com/about-patrick:

{
  "@context": "http://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Patrick Coombe",
  "alumniOf": {
    "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
    "name": "McCann School of Business",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCann_School_of_Business_%26_Technology"
  }
}

Jay Holtslander on jay.holtslander.ca:

{
  "@context": "http://www.schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Jay Holtslander",
  "alumniOf": [
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "Vancouver Film School"
    },
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "CodeCore Bootcamp"
    }
  ]
}

Related fields

• worksFor — current employer organization
• jobTitle — professional title at current employer
• memberOf — organizations the person belongs to (broader than alumni)
• knowsAbout — expertise areas, often shaped by education
• name — full name of the person

FAQ

Should I use CollegeOrUniversity or EducationalOrganization?

Use CollegeOrUniversity for degree-granting institutions (universities, colleges). Use EducationalOrganization for non-degree programs like bootcamps, trade schools, or certification programs. Both are valid values for alumniOf.

Can alumniOf include non-educational organizations?

Yes. Schema.org accepts any Organization type, not just educational ones. This covers fellowship programs, research institutes, or any organization with an alumni relationship. However, educational institutions are the most common and expected use.

Does listing multiple institutions in an array affect SEO?

No. Multiple alumniOf entries in an array are valid and correctly parsed by search engines and AI systems. List all relevant institutions to build a complete educational profile.