The Rise of the 90 Credit Bachelor Degree

[SteveFoerster]

I started writing a few comments for DEAC on their 90 credit degree proposal, and realized I was three fourths of the way to an essay, so I finished it.

https://www.edupexperience.com/blog/the-...or-degree/

[FireMedic_Philosopher]

Besides DEAC,have any other accreditation agencies voiced an opinion as yet?

[Jonathan Whatley]

Besides DEAC,have any other accreditation agencies voiced an opinion as yet?

Yes.

The movement has come a long way since April 2024, when the College-in-3 Exchange, a new organization dedicated to promoting interest in the three-year degree, held a meeting in Massachusetts to discuss its progress. Though advocates celebrated the success of the truncated degree programs granted to BYU-Idaho and Ensign in summer 2023, no in-person three-year programs had yet been approved, and most accreditors still seemed skeptical of the concept.

Since then, every [regional] accreditor in the U.S. has done an about-face, implementing or clarifying their policies to allow colleges to propose degrees with fewer than 120 credits. Many accreditors have already approved programs, including the country’s first in-person reduced-credit degrees: computer science, criminal justice, graphic design and hospitality management at Johnson & Wales University, which were approved by the New England Commission of Higher Education and will launch this fall. Some state higher education leaders are enthusiastically backing the movement, in some cases adjusting regulations or releasing guidance to make it easier to create these programs.

Is the 3-Year Degree Dream Becoming a Reality? (Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed, July 28 2025)

[SteveFoerster]

Besides DEAC,have any other accreditation agencies voiced an opinion as yet?

Yes, as Jonathan said, but IMHO, DEAC's approach is the pick of that particular litter. And it's especially interesting that they're the ones holding the line when so many people claim their member institutions are less academically rigorous. Perhaps this is their way of being able to say, "No, you!"

[LevelUP]

I think the idea of a 90-credit bachelor (or “three-year” degree) is worth considering, especially for students who want to enter the workforce sooner and avoid extra tuition.

[bjcheung77]

For countries like Canada, UK, etc, the 3 year bachelors isn't a new thing... I believe we had a couple at least that were being offered already. With the colleges and universities now taking alternative ACE/NCCRS options, it wouldn't really matter if the 4 year degree exists as the 3 year degree would only be a semester faster, if not less... People can finish 90+ credits with a combo of Coursera, Sophia.org, Study.com, and/or even StraighterLine, the rest is completed at the institution of choice.