Ellie Goulding apologised to her old tutor for dropping out after she received an honorary degree from England's University of Kent on Thursday.
The Army singer, 32, ditched her drama degree in 2008, at the end of her second year, after struggling to combine her studies with performing and working two jobs.
However, she finally got a diploma in the shape of an honorary Doctor Of Arts degree after attending a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on Thursday.
According to the Associated Press, Ellie told graduates in a speech at the event: "Coming back today does complete that circle for me 11 years later, after I packed up my cold little garage room... It feels really good."
She also apologised to her old drama tutor Oliver Double for quitting via email, saying: "I'm sorry for that email ... It must have been quite out of the blue."
However, her teacher said there were no hard feelings, as he loved some of the early songs she posted on the MySpace social media site.
"I emailed her to tell her how impressed I was, to wish her luck and say she was welcome to come back and finish her degree if things don't work out," Oliver revealed.
Ellie confessed she found it "hard to fit in" at university, but said it had helped her become a "much more open-minded person" and "more focused and driven than ever before."
During her speech, the pop superstar also praised students' activism and joked she'd see the other graduates for a celebration in a Wetherspoons pub after the event.
