Wow, I didn't know there were 'global records' for this type of thing, I would have thought it came from institutions themselves who store records of student academic archives... I guess the people at Guinness need something to do and voila, this is one of those records! Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/canada/slowest-student-in-the-world-finishes-ubc-degree-54-years-after-he-first-enrolled/ar-AA1bwzPn
Well, he got a law degree and practiced law during those 54 years. So, I couldn't really go with any record but, it does make a very nice title for the story title and a fun story to read as well.
I wonder how the credits were still valid after 54 years. Most schools won't allow credits over 7-10 years old.
I was well on my way to beating his record, so long as I lived enough years. Then DI and DF helped me to make a patchwork quilt bachelor's degree from all the disparate remnants of college credits I had lying around.
When I went back to school, here in Canada in the 80s I got around 24 college credits for 8 subjects taken in the 5th (optional) year of high school (Grade 13) which we no longer have. IIRC those credits were 24 years old. Yeah, that would be right. 17 when I earned them, 41 or 42 when I got the college credit. People who finished the 5th year graduated twice. Grade 12 was called Junior Matriculation and Grade 13 was called Senior Matriculation, as I remember. These credits helped a lot. My college program (2 year diploma via night school) was 76 credits. I'd earned about 17, they gave me 24 which put me at 41 - over half-way through. I'm no speed demon. Took me another 4 years to finish in night classes (still working f/t) but ... it kept me (mostly) out of the bars.