A massive genetic study indicates that educational achievement could be written in our DNA.

More than 70 genetic ‘hotspots’ have been found to play a role in educational attainment, according to the study.

An international team of geneticists looked at the genomes of nearly 300,000 people. They found changes in 74 regions that were linked with how far a person gets with their education.

The researchers say that genetics account for about a 20 per cent variation in how much schooling a person received, so a person's environment and social connections remain the central influence on their school success.

“Educational attainment is a complex phenomenon, and mostly influenced by social and other environmental factors, but we knew that genes play a role too,” says University of Queensland researcher Professor Peter Visscher – who contributed to the study from his role at the QBI.

“Your level of education determines so many other aspects of how your life unfolds. There is a widely-accepted relationship between educational attainment and health outcomes, but we don’t fully understand its causes.

“And that’s one reason for conducting this research – because of its relevance for broader medical research.

“These findings – of 74 genetic variations across a person’s whole genome – are a tiny piece of the puzzle as to why some people complete more years of education than others.

“But it’s an intriguing piece of the puzzle and definitely opens new doors for research.

“For example, we found that the genes that are associated with higher educational attainment are, on average, also associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Professor Visscher said while the role of genetics in a person’s life should not be overplayed, neither could it be ignored.

“Crucially, this latest finding does not show that your educational attainment is something determined at birth. There are many other factors that come into play,” he said.

“These tiny genetic differences may ultimately help to understand why some people are more susceptible to early cognitive decline than others.

“It is a rich vein of material which, when applied responsibly, adds to our understanding of the human condition.”

The study was conducted by the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium, which includes hundreds of scientists from across the globe.

It has been published in the journal Nature.