What Is A Swirling Student

A swirling student is a college student pursuing a higher education by attending two or more colleges, either simultaneously or consecutively.  The term swirling student is thought to have been coined in 1990 by community colleges.  More than 40% of community college students will complete their Associates Degree by attending at least two or more colleges.  More than 20% of four year college students will complete their Bachelor’s Degree by attending at least two or more colleges.

How Do You End Up As A ‘Swirling Student’

In a perfect world, all the classes you want to attend will have open seats, waiting for you, at a schedule time that is convenient for you.  The reality is, most public universities offer classes only when they are filled to capacity, and then some.  With dwindling state budgets, more colleges have had to operate with fewer resources.  They resort to loading up on students per class, and course loads per faculty.  Even private universities have had to take a serious look at their curriculum, across the disciplines, with an eye towards austerity.    

There are required classes and prerequisites that students must take to complete their degree.  The problem is these classes are often only offered in the fall or spring semesters or every other year.  So if the student misses out on one semester, they might have to wait anywhere from one semester to two years before they’re offered again.  Enter the swirling student.  The swirling student proceeds to the next institution to hunt down the prerequisite course because the course they needed at their home institution was full or not available. 

Other students may have already attained their Baccalaureate, but then return to continue their professional development and retool in credit and noncredit formats.  Many community college students already have a bachelor’s degree, or higher.   

Others swirling students gets lost in the system, and end up with credits that are not transferrable.  Ultimately they quit before attaining a degree; hence, the some college, no degree category gets bigger each year.

How To Avoid Becoming A ‘Swirling Student’

I wish I knew, but I don’t have all the answers.   The economy, the politics of state run education, the teacher’s union, all have a role to play in this problem.   I do know that the number of swirling students will continue to rise until higher education gets better for everyone.