Editing Perpetual student

{{Short description|College/university attendee who re-enrolls for several years more than necessary}}
A '''perpetual student''', '''gradual student''', or '''career student''' is either a [[college]] or [[university]] attendee who either pursues multiple [[terminal degree]]s or re-enrolls for several years more than is necessary to obtain a given [[academic degree|degree]].

==Holders of multiple academic degrees==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Number of Earned Degrees 
!Name
!Dates
!Notes
|-
|30<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Korin |date=2016-09-14 |title=The Best College Advice From This Man Who's Been In School For FIFTY-FIVE Years |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/michael-nicholson-college-55-years-30-degrees-advice |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Teen Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref>
|[[Michael Nicholson (academic)|Michael Nicholson]]
|1941–present
|Part-time parking attendant whose degree list includes 22 master's degrees and one doctorate.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Holcomb |first=Anne |date=January 19, 2009 |title=Twenty-seven degrees and counting: Kalamazoo man enjoys the 'freedom' of intellectual pursuits |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2009/01/twentyseven_degrees_and_counti.html |website=mlive}}</ref>
|-
|23<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-31 |title=Robert McGee |url=https://www.csualumni.com/stay-connected/fascinating-alumni/robert-mcgee/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331090854/https://www.csualumni.com/stay-connected/fascinating-alumni/robert-mcgee/ |archive-date=2023-03-31 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Holland |first=Monica |title=Fayetteville's Robert McGee, 74, is world champion martial artist ... and novelist, doctoral degree holder, international consultant |url=https://www.fayobserver.com/story/sports/2021/08/23/fayettevilles-dr-robert-mcgee-wins-taekwondo-world-championships/8200363002/ |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=The Fayetteville Observer |language=en-US}}</ref>
|[[Robert McGee|Robert W. McGee]]
|1947–present
|Holds 13 doctorates.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 November 2019 |title=Alumni Spotlight - at 72, Robert W. McGee is just Getting Started |url=https://community.myunion.edu/alumni-spotlight-at-72-robert-w-mcgee-is-just-getting-started/}}</ref> Professor of Accounting at [[Fayetteville State University]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faculty & Staff |url=https://www.uncfsu.edu/academics/colleges-schools-and-departments/broadwell-college-of-business-and-economics/faculty-and-staff |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=www.uncfsu.edu |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|20<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet India's most educated man, who had 20 degrees, cracked UPSC twice, quit IAS job due to... |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/education/report-meet-india-s-most-educated-man-who-had-20-degrees-cracked-upsc-twice-quit-ias-job-due-to-3086581 |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=DNA India |language=en}}</ref>
|[[Shrikant Jichkar]]
|1954–2004
|Indian civil servant. 
|-
|16<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Joseph |date=2024-06-03 |title=The Man Who Couldn't Stop Going to College |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/magazine/benjamin-bolger-college-harvard-yale.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
|[[Benjamin Bolger]]
|1975–present
|Received an associate's from [[Muskegon Community College]], his bachelor's from the [[University of Michigan]], thirteen master's degrees and a Doctor of Design from Harvard University.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Joseph |date=2024-06-03 |title=The Man Who Couldn't Stop Going to College |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/magazine/benjamin-bolger-college-harvard-yale.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
|-
|15<ref>{{Cite web |title=King of university degrees is 70-year old Italian {{!}} Inquirer News |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/872156/king-of-university-degrees-is-70-year-old-italian |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=newsinfo.inquirer.net|date=16 February 2017 }}</ref>
|[[Luciano Baietti]] 
|1947–present
|Studied for degrees in [[physical education]], [[law]], [[literature]], [[philosophy]], [[sociology]], [[criminology]], and [[military strategy]]. In 2002, [[The Guinness Book of World Records]] officially recognized Baietti as the most graduated living person in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-02-14 |title=King of university degrees is 70-year old Italian |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/king-university-degrees-70-old-italian-092141401.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-SG}}</ref>
|-
|14
|Leo Salvet
|1957 - present
|Priest, Prague, Czech republic
|-
|11<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-05-02 |title=Lollipop man studies 12th degree |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-17929379 |access-date=2024-06-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|[[Bruce Berry (academic)|Bruce Berry]] 
|1940–2014
|Took his first degree from [[Manchester University]] in 1963. Earned a number of master's degrees starting in the 1970s.  He earned a Ph.D. from [[Leeds Metropolitan University]]. Died while completing a second Ph.D. Worked in technical document translation for [[Agfa-Gevaert]], for the Post Office, and as a teacher, before working as a school [[crossing guard]] in retirement.
|-
|11<ref>{{Cite news |date=1989-11-01 |title=Lollipop man studies 12th degree |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-11-me-320-story.html|access-date=2025-01-08 |work=Los Angeles Times|language=en}}</ref>
|[[John Warwick Montgomery]] 
|1931–2024
|Lawyer and Christian apologist 
|-
|10
|[[Jacob M. Appel|Jacob Appel]]
|1973–present
|Holds both a [[Doctor of Medicine]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jacob Appel |url=https://scholars.mssm.edu/en/persons/jacob-appel |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai |language=en}}</ref> and a [[Juris Doctor]]. Serves on the faculty of the [[Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai]] in New York City. 
|-
|9<ref>{{Cite web |title=Md Amiruzzaman |url=https://www.cs.kent.edu/~mamiruzz/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=Kent State University |language=en-US}}</ref>
|Md Amiruzzaman
|1981–present
|A multidisciplinary academic and researcher, currently serving as a faculty member at [[West Chester University]]. Holds three doctoral degrees, five master's degrees, and one bachelor's degree.
|-
|9<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rev. Robelyn Garcia |url=https://universityofsedona.com/rev-robelyn-garcia/ |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=University of Sedona |language=en-US}}</ref>
|[[Robelyn Garcia]]
|1965–present
|Former professional women's basketball player is currently an academic at [[Harvard University]] and [[Arizona State University]].
|-
|8<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Me |url=https://jameshoward.us/about-me/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=James Howard |language=en-US}}</ref>
|[[James_Howard_(mathematician)|James Howard]]
|1979–present
|Mathematician and public policy scholar
|-
|8<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Me |url=https://www.tsu.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/school-of-communication/undergraduate-programs/communication-studies/david-n-maly-jd.pdf |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=David Maly |language=en-US}}</ref>
|[[David_Maly_(lawyer)|David Maly]]
|1991–present
|Lawyer and professor
|-
|8
|Katie Nelson
|1976-present
|Holds a doctorate in education, six master’s degrees, and one bachelor’s degree from 7 different universities.
|-
|7<ref>{{Cite web |title=RCC Alumna Domaine Javier discusses her struggles and successes throughout her life |url=https://viewpointsonline.org/2021/03/rcc-alumna-domaine-javier-discusses-her-struggles-and-successes-throughout-her-life/ |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Viewpoints}}</ref>
|[[Domaine Javier]]
|1992/1993–present
|Filipino actress
|-
|7
|Ivana Kyselová Košková
|1977 – present
|Freelance translator and lecturer, Prague, Czech republic
|}

== Long tenure to complete a single degree ==
{{see also|Progress toward degree}}

* Milton De Jesús has been a student at the University of Puerto Rico since 1963. In 2010, De Jesús was interviewed by the newspaper, since he was the only student on the campus who could compare the 2010 student strikes and the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and 2005 strikes.<ref>El Nuevo Día year xxxx, vol14449 page 6- also at: https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/miltonvive-707559</ref> 
* [[Johnny Lechner]] attended the [[University of Wisconsin–Whitewater]] from 1994 until at least 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-12-30 |title=A cap and gown for UW-Whitewater's perpetual student? - JSOnline |url=https://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/45315862.html/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230230226/https://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/45315862.html/ |archive-date=2009-12-30 }}</ref> He spent 13 years as a senior at the university.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prizevoits |first=Antonijs |date=2009-08-02 |title=Fraternity House |url=https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/fraternity-house/umc.cmc.5m7sv3bffzttmvk7g08n9gfoz |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Apple TV |language=en-US }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite journal |last1=Kalamatianou |first1=Aglaia G. |last2=McClean |first2=Sally |date=2003-12-01 |title=The Perpetual Student: Modeling Duration of Undergraduate Studies Based on Lifetime-Type Educational Data |url=https://doi.org/10.1023/B:LIDA.0000012419.98989.d4 |journal=Lifetime Data Analysis |language=en |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=311–330 |doi=10.1023/B:LIDA.0000012419.98989.d4 |issn=1572-9249 |pmid=15000407 |s2cid=22845288 |id={{ResearchGatePub|7142424}}. {{ProQuest|a21220a00f9f9af8bde08b4abae9c90f}}|url-access=subscription }}
*{{Cite conference |last1=Kalamaras |first1=Dimitrios A. |last2=Kalamatianou |first2=Aglaia G. |title=Life Table Method for the Duration of Studies: Further Results |conference=14th Young Statisticians Meeting |id={{ResearchGatePub|322717479}}. {{Academia.edu|1942093}}. {{Academia.edu|7114670}}}}

[[Category:Academic slang]]
[[Category:Student culture]]
[[Category:Types of students]]