A growing number of U.S. higher education institutions are introducing three-year bachelor's degree programs that require fewer credits than the traditional four-year model. According to the nonprofit research group RAND, colleges in 26 states now offer at least one reduced-credit, three-year pathway, with 119 such programs publicly announced as of May. Unlike previous accelerated programs that squeezed 120 credits into a shorter timeframe, these new initiatives allow students to graduate with as few as 90 credit hours.
The shift toward shorter degrees gained momentum in 2022 when Robert Zemsky of the University of Pennsylvania helped form the College-in-3 Exchange to address rising education costs. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities became the first accreditor to approve these reduced-credit programs in 2023, starting with Ensign College and Brigham Young University-Idaho. Since then, other accrediting bodies have followed, primarily at private nonprofit institutions where three-quarters of these programs are currently offered.
Supporters of the shortened degrees, including Ensign College President Bruce Kusch, argue they provide a necessary solution to the college affordability crisis for students who cannot afford to be out of the workforce for four years. Conversely, critics such as Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), argue that reduced-credit programs diminish the value of a degree and "cut corners" on academic learning. Most current programs focus on business and computer science, while fields like engineering and education remain less common due to strict licensing and math requirements.
However, the change introduces specific complications for graduates in professional fields. Students pursuing careers that require state licensure, such as accounting or teaching, may find their 90-credit degrees insufficient. Wesley Hardy, an accounting student at Ensign College, noted that many states require 120 hours to sit for the CPA exam and 150 hours for licensing. Graduates may notice they are ineligible for certain jobs or must pay for additional graduate-level coursework to meet professional standards, a concern highlighted by RAND researcher Jenna Kramer.
There are also potential knock-on effects regarding further education and employment. RAND found no standard practices yet exist for admitting three-year degree holders into U.S. graduate programs, which traditionally expect 120-credit backgrounds. This creates a precedent that could force graduate schools to revise their admissions policies or require supplemental classes for these applicants. What happens next depends on ongoing state-level reviews; for instance, education officials in Ohio are currently using the RAND analysis to weigh the feasibility of implementing reduced-credit degrees in their state.