Perpetual student funded by bequest

[snopes]

Comment: I don't know if this is of interest to you, but I've now come
across twice in fictional contexts a story, and I wondered if there was
any true basis behind it, or indeed whether it is, or has been possible.

The story is that of a student at University who is funded by a bequest of
a deceased relative. The details of the bequest state that he is to
receive sufficient funding for a satisfactory lifestyle for the duration
of the time that he is still in attendance at University.

The student noting the advantages of remaining a student, chooses to
consistently fail to graduate, thus maintaining an attractive and
responsibility free lifestyle without financial concerns.

A further twist on the story can be told whereby there is a passing
requirement on exams (for instance 70%) but also a level which a student
will be thrown out if he fails to achieve (for instance 50%) - therefore
leading him to become most diligent in his studies in order to score
within the all important grading boundaries.

This features in one novel of the Terry Pratchett's Discworld series
('Moving Pictures' if I recall correctly), and in the first episode of the
BBC radio drama series 'Doctor in the House' (and I assume the novels it
was based upon).

The Discworld example gives a further twist upon this story as the staff
realise this process is occurring and so give the student in question an
exam paper with a single question 'What is your name?' on it, commenting
that it should be hard for him to get the required neither-pass-nor-fail
requirement on that one!

[geminilee]

It has been used in literature before, by both Zelazny and Richard Gordon. I doubt it has ever been done in real life, although of course there is no real reason why it shouldn't.

[snopes]

Don't most colleges/universities have regulations under which they can disqualify a student who fails to make satisfactory progress towards a degree, specifically to avoid the "perpetual student" scenario?

[rhiandmoi]

You have to make progress towards your stated major at most schools, but if you continually apply for a new major and get accepted then it can go on for quite a while. Plus with the catalog changes every 4-8 years causing loads of your credits to suddenly become useless you could even cycle back through the majors. Of course, you would have to get accepted into each of your new majors, and if your school was on to you, they might just block you from changing majors.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi

Plus with the catalog changes every 4-8 years causing loads of your credits to suddenly become useless you could even cycle back through the majors.

Every college I've attended had regulations stating that the catalog in effect when a student enrolled remained in effect throughout the length of his/her enrollment, specifically to avoid students' being penalized by the "class you took is now worthless" scenario.

[Singing in the Drizzle]

There was a old (at the time it may not have been old) science fiction book that I check out of the library back in high school (early 80s) that started with a student in a similar situation. This was way before Terry Pratchett's Discworld. I started reading the story and had to return the book before I got to far into it. The problem is I can not for life of me remember the book or the author. I want to finish reading it.

[geminilee]

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi

Of course, you would have to get accepted into each of your new majors, and if your school was on to you, they might just block you from changing majors.

I don't know why the school would care.

[Jahungo]

At least at some schools, it is possible to perpetually attend college. See the real life example of Johnny Lechner, a student who attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 13 years and followed that with a year abroad in Europe. The school eventually tried to get rid of him by instituting a so-called "slacker tax," which charged double tuition to a student with a certain number of credits above what is needed to graduate, but I think he stayed on even longer.

However, I don't think there is any special funding situation for him. According to this, he has $30,000 in student loans and pays the rest as he goes with the money he earns as a waiter.

In this situation, it looks like he hasn't even had to fail any classes or fit into some gray area or anything like that - he just built up credits and never graduated.

ETA: Of course, it wouldn't be possible at a lot of schools, including my undergraduate school, where one had to be approved by some sort of panel for a 10th semester and no one would be allowed to take an 11th.

[Aud 1]

The state college I attended didn't seem to mind how long you were attending as long as you were paying your bills. DH's friend went there and took 9 years to graduate. DH went to a private college and you got 8 semesters period.

[rhiandmoi]

Originally Posted by snopes

Every college I've attended had regulations stating that the catalog in effect when a student enrolled remained in effect throughout the length of his/her enrollment, specifically to avoid students' being penalized by the "class you took is now worthless" scenario.

We got to choose which catalog we wanted to graduate under, sometimes the requirements decreased or classes required under the old catalog stopped being offered midway through your time there. So if a person had a bunch of credits under the 1998 catalog for Major A, and then in 2002 they changed to Major B, in 2006 they could change back to Major A, but say they want to go under the new 2006 catalog rendering the credits they took prior to 2002 obsolete.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by Jahungo

n this situation, it looks like he hasn't even had to fail any classes or fit into some gray area or anything like that - he just built up credits and never graduated.

I would even argue against the "continuing failure" idea and more towards "within a certain GPA range" idea simply because if you fail too many classes, many schools will simply kick you out due to low GPA.

I would also be suspicious of any program that one could get that could be exploited by staying in college forever especially an "all expenses paid" type of program. It would get real expensive real quick.

[Discouraged One]

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi

Of course, you would have to get accepted into each of your new majors, and if your school was on to you, they might just block you from changing majors.

I don't know if most Universities have this, but at mine you can only change majors 3 times.

[ASL]

Does anyone else think the idea of an unlimited source of money devoted to what would normally be a 4 year period is a bit ridiculous? If I were planning to leave someone enough money to get through college, I wouldn't leave them millions of dollars. Surely the woman didn't leave unlimited funds that would turn off for no good reason when the guy graduated. Where would all the money go from there?

[Jahungo]

Originally Posted by ASL

Does anyone else think the idea of an unlimited source of money devoted to what would normally be a 4 year period is a bit ridiculous? If I were planning to leave someone enough money to get through college, I wouldn't leave them millions of dollars. Surely the woman didn't leave unlimited funds that would turn off for no good reason when the guy graduated. Where would all the money go from there?

I would just guess that in the story, the money would go to some sort of general trust foundation thingy (there's a specific word for it, which I'm blanking on at the moment), to be administered as directed by the deceased, and a portion of this was to support their relative while still in college.

The remainder would simply go to the fund, to be administered by a trust as per the deceased's wishes.

[Beejtronic]

My friend wants to be a perpetual student. Of course, her idea is to just continuously get degree after degree after degree, and taking out student loans for each one, until she dies. She figures this means that she won't have to pay them back, but:

a) she'd probably reach a point where no one would be willing to give her a loan
b) if she died with thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt, they'd likely go after her relatives to get it back

I'm pretty sure she wasn't serious anyway.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi

So if a person had a bunch of credits under the 1998 catalog for Major A, and then in 2002 they changed to Major B, in 2006 they could change back to Major A, but say they want to go under the new 2006 catalog rendering the credits they took prior to 2002 obsolete.

But when you change majors you are effectively disenrolling from your previous degree program, so there really isn't much of a reason why the catalog you entered under should continue to apply.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Jahungo

At least at some schools, it is possible to perpetually attend college. See the real life example of Johnny Lechner, a student who attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 13 years and followed that with a year abroad in Europe.

Heck, I've been taking classes from the same university for the better part of thirty years now (even though I finished my degree in 1986).

[Nick Theodorakis]

Originally Posted by Beejtronic

b) if she died with thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt, they'd likely go after her relatives to get it back
...

Some student loans are discharged upon death. (More here.)

Nick

[Ramblin' Dave]

Originally Posted by geminilee

I don't know why the school would care.

It would drive down their graduation rate, however slightly. If it encouraged other students to try the same thing, it could drive it down significantly. It also wouldn't be very good for the school to get a reputation as a haven for the spring-break-forever types.

[htonl]

My university requires special permission from the Dean for a student to stay registered if they haven't graduated after five years (for a degree that is normally three years in length). They would take into account things like changing majors, if it was sincere and not just to prolong the degree. (They do this mainly because the government stops subsidizing students who take too long to graduate.)

Anyway, if someone wanted to keep studying, why wouldn't they spend their time more usefully and go for postgraduate study, rather than endlessly churning as an undergraduate?