A growing number of states are rethinking one of higher education’s most enduring assumptions: that a bachelor’s degree takes four years to earn. Virginia and Ohio are now the latest to join a national movement exploring whether a rigorous undergraduate credential can be built on 90 credits rather than the traditional 120.
Higher education leaders in both states announced Thursday that they are partnering to develop a model for three-year bachelor’s degrees, joining an initiative that already includes Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and a handful of other institutions experimenting with accelerated pathways. The effort is organized through a coalition that includes Jobs for the Future, Arnold Ventures, the Strada Education Foundation, the American Association of Colleges and Universities, and research firm Ithaka S+R under the banner of “Scaling College in 3.”
The driving force behind the push is cost. Proponents argue that shaving a year off the undergraduate timeline could meaningfully reduce what students and families pay, while also getting graduates into the workforce sooner. The initiative draws on research from higher-education scholars Robert Zemsky, Lori Carrell, and colleagues at the National Center for Inquiry & Improvement, who argued in 2023 that many students are paying for credits that aren’t essential to earning a degree or launching a career.
In Virginia and Ohio, current law requires at least 120 semester credit hours for a bachelor’s degree, meaning any shift to a 90-credit model would likely require legislative or regulatory action. Participating institutions in both states are expected to propose two 90-credit degree programs by spring 2028. Higher education officials from the two states will spend the coming year consulting with national experts on program design.
Massachusetts is further along. In February, the state’s Board of Higher Education adopted regulations allowing pilot programs that depart from the 120-credit standard. Last week, the board approved the first two programs under that framework: Merrimack College will offer a 96-credit applied bachelor’s degree across four existing majors beginning in fall 2027, and Suffolk University will launch a 94-credit health administration degree that same semester. Students who enroll must sign a consent form acknowledging that some employers or graduate programs may not view the compressed degree as equivalent to a traditional one.
Not everyone is on board. Faculty groups and union leaders have raised pointed objections. The American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers issued a joint statement warning that the accelerated model substitutes speed for intellectual development and does nothing to address the underlying drivers of tuition costs. Some professors have drawn an analogy to simply buying less of a product: cheaper, but not the same.
There are also equity concerns. Critics worry the programs could create a two-tier system, with lower-income students defaulting to shorter, less flexible degrees while wealthier peers pursue the full four-year experience — with its electives, study abroad opportunities, and broader academic exploration.
Supporters counter that the programs are voluntary, carefully monitored, and designed for students who have clear professional goals and pressing financial needs. School leaders at Merrimack and Suffolk insist that the quality of instruction will remain intact; the tradeoff is simply less room for electives and double majors.
What’s unfolding across these states amounts to a live experiment in one of higher education’s oldest debates: what a bachelor’s degree is actually for, and who gets to define it.
