Kushner was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in New Jersey.[14] He graduated from the Frisch School, a private, coed yeshiva high school in 1999. According to Risa Heller, a spokeswoman for Kushner Companies, he was an honors student and a member of the debate, hockey, and basketball teams while at Frisch.[15]
In 2003, Kushner graduated cum laude from Harvard College with a B.A. in sociology.[16][17] According to journalist Daniel Golden, Kushner and his brother Joshua were admitted to Harvard after their father had made a $2.5 million donation to the university.[18][19][20][21][22][23]
While a student at Harvard, Kushner was a member of the Fly Club and bought and sold buildings in Somerville, Massachusetts, earning a $20 million profit.[24]
In 2007, Kushner graduated from New York University where he earned a J.D. and M.B.A.;[25] his father had previously made a $3 million donation to NYU in 2001.[20] He interned at Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau's office and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.[11][22]