People who are self-educated have acquired knowledge or a skill by themselves, rather than being taught it by someone else such as a teacher at school.
...a self-educated man from a working-class background.
self-educated in British English
adjective
1.
educated through one's own efforts, without formal instruction
2.
educated at one's own expense, without financial aid
Derived forms
self-education (ˌself-ˌeduˈcation)
noun
self-educated in American English
(ˈsɛlfˈɛdʒəˌkeɪtɪd)
adjective
educated or trained by oneself, with little or no formal schooling