In 1972, Stern declined a place at Elmira College to instead pursue a Communications degree at Boston University, but his average high school grades caused him to spend the first two years in its College of Basic Studies. In his second year, he started work at the campus radio station WTBU, where he played records, read the news, and hosted interview programs. He later co-hosted a weekly comedy show with three fellow students named The King Schmaltz Bagel Hour which was initially canceled during its first broadcast for a racial Sketch named "Godzilla Goes to Harlem". Stern took cannabis, Quaaludes, and LSD during his studies, but quit after he experienced a difficult trip on too much LSD. In 1974, he gained admission to the university's School of Public Communications. He then studied for a diploma at the Radio Engineering Institute of Electronics in Fredericksburg, Virginia in July 1975 which earned him a first-class radio-telephone operator license, a required certificate for all radio broadcasters at the time which was issued by the Federal Communications Commission. With the license, Stern landed his first professional radio job at WNTN in Newton, Massachusetts from August to December 1975 doing air shifts, news casting, and production work. For the next five months, he taught students basic electronics in preparation for their own FCC exams. In May 1976, Stern graduated magna cum laude with a 3.8-grade point average. His major was broadcasting and film and his minor English and speech. In the past, he has funded a scholarship at the university.