Three-year bachelor’s degrees are gaining traction nationally since the first programs gained approval in late 2023. At least 70 institutions either already offer three-year programs or are seeking approval, according to College-in-3, an organization advocating for three-year degrees and connecting interested campuses to resources. Another 10 schools are exploring the idea, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
States are pushing for more. Indiana passed a law in 2024 requiring public bachelor’s-granting institutions to develop at least one three-year program by July 2025. In Kansas, a task force is studying whether to offer reduced-credit programs.
The interest in shaking up the status quo comes as affordability remains a barrier and the value of a college degree is increasingly questioned. About 35% of survey respondents this year said a college education was very important, down from 75% in 2010, according to a Gallup poll.
“It’s shaving off a quarter of the nonsense,” said Robert Zemsky, a University of Pennsylvania professor and longtime advocate of three-year college degrees. “I’m sorry to be so blunt, but I think students have figured out that they’re being asked to do lots of things that they don’t really need or want to do, and they’d like less of that.”