13-Year-Old Elliott Tanner Graduates College With Physics Degree, Pursues PhD

Elliot Tanner was barely 10 when he entered the Physics program at the University of Minnesota. Now, at 13 years old, he's set to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Physics with a minor in Math in May 2022.

The teenager is the youngest student of University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering. Tanner has maintained his 3.78 GPA thoughout his stay in the university while also tutoring his college classmates. He intends to join the Ph.D. program in the same institution this fall as he wants to become a high-energy theoretical physicist. The boy also aspires to be a Physics professor once he gets his Ph.D., per NBC New York.

Mom Michelle Tanner said that Elliot started to read and do math when he was just 3 years old. He was homeschooled in elementary and completed high school within a two-year period. By 11 years old, he earned an associate's degree at a community college before moving to U & M.

Because of his age, Michelle is aware that some people might think her son "grew up too fast. However, the mother said that Elliot still behaves very much like a child, even as he goes to a university.

He's Like Sheldon Cooper

Tanner has been compared to the geeky TV character of Sheldon Cooper from "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon" on CBS, who is characterized as a theoretical physicist. According to CBS58, Tanner is actually a huge fan of the show and has met child actor Iain Armitage, who plays Sheldon, in person.

Armitage said that his whiz kid friend might be even better than TV's boy genius. The young actor is certain that in 10 years' time, everyone in the world will be reading about Tanner's work.

The two boys, who are of the same age, have struck a special friendship since meeting each other as both Tanner and Armitage are kids navigating the world of adults. Armitage said that he and Tanner also frequently exchange text messages about his work on the set of his CBS show or Tanner's "crazy college experience."

Sometimes, however, their text messages also involve fart jokes and their love for video games and virtual reality. Despite their different worlds, they both are growing up as typical as boys their age.

Sourcing Financial Aid for Tanner's Graduate Studies

Meanwhile, Michelle said that Tanner's plans to get into the Ph.D. program have been met with some hitches as the family is still trying to secure financial aid. Apparently, U & M does not extend a financial package to a prodigy like Tanner. Michelle told Fox 10 that they've come up with dead ends for grants, scholarships, or fellowships for her son.

She has opened a GoFundMe page so Tanner could still pursue his dreams in academia. As of mid-April, the fundraiser has enough to cover Tanner's first year as a Ph.D. student, which takes up to four or five years to finish.