 After undertaking traditional religious studies at the Tiqo Mekane Selassie church where his father was Aleqa (a title given to church leaders), he moved to the capital Addis Ababa due to the transfer of his father to the Qatchane Medhane'alem Church.There he was admitted to Kotebe Qedamawi Haile Selassie school.In 1948, Mengistu studied in London at the Regent Street Polytechnic before studying economics and political science at the London School of Economics.