In 1826, Edgar Allan Poe enrolled in the University of Virginia. He was unhappy with the university and felt that he was not receiving the best education possible. Additionally, he was struggling financially and could not afford to stay at the school.
Poe had very poor grades at UVA; he only received one B+ grade, which was in French. His poor performance led him to be reprimanded by his professors and eventually dismissed from school without a degree in April 1827.
The dismissal did not come as a surprise to Poe; he had been told that he would not be allowed to return after taking an unauthorized leave of absence during the fall semester of 1826. He left school without permission because his mother had become ill and needed his help at home; she died shortly after he returned home.
In 1842, Poe tried to earn a degree from Harvard University but his application was denied due to his previous dismissal from UVA. He never returned to school but continued writing for publication until he died in 1849 at age 40 years old (reference).
In a letter to a friend, Poe wrote that he planned on leaving the university because he felt that he would be treated better elsewhere. He also said that he wanted to avoid going into debt, which was an issue for many students at the time.
Poe continued his education by attending several different schools around Virginia, including Episcopal High School in Alexandria and West Point Military Academy. He did not complete any degrees from these institutions either, but took advantage of their libraries and resources to continue his studies.
