September 24, 2026
This brief describes how states, accrediting bodies, and postsecondary institutions are approaching a new model: bachelor’s degrees that can be completed in three years and fewer credit hours.
The recent movement to launch three-year bachelor’s degree programs has emerged in response to longstanding postsecondary concerns about college affordability, time to degree, and curricular efficiency. The 120-credit threshold has long been the standard for baccalaureate degrees, which are traditionally structured for completion in four years of full-time study. But some institutions, accreditors, and states are now considering whether degrees that require fewer credits, and therefore less time, might be more effective. The trend has grown rapidly alongside the movement toward an expanded range of credential pathways for learners, such as micro-credentials, workforce Pell Grant programs, and apprenticeship degrees. The movement also coincides with a decline in college enrollment over the past five years, likely due in part to growing concerns about affordability and students having to cover a greater share of the cost of postsecondary education.
In just the past few years, accreditors, private and public universities, and nonprofit organizations have begun to explore ways to increase the options available to potential learners.
In early 2023, all bachelor’s degree programs in the United States required that learners earn at least 120 credits. Since then, over 100 programs that require approximately 90 credits, or three years as a full-time student, have been launched or announced across many states.
Three-year bachelor’s programs align with Jobs for the Future’s (JFF’s) ongoing work, including supporting its North Star vision: that by 2033, 75 million Americans facing barriers to economic advancement will work in quality jobs through more flexible degree options that can better serve diverse populations, including adult and working learners. This work also aligns with the goals inspired by JFF’s ELEVATE Postsecondary Network, a coalition of state-level leaders that helps institutions provide postsecondary learners with transferable skills and credentials for career advancement.
The following brief is an introduction to the movement toward three-year bachelor’s degrees and how different stakeholders are approaching the call for more flexible degree options.
The Jobs for the Future team thanks Arnold Ventures and the Strada Education Foundation for their support of this work. Thank you to our reviewers from JFF, Tara Smith and Quinton Stroud, Ithaka S&R, and American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
We would also like to thank members of the Scaling College in 3 Community of Practice:
Ohio partners:
Virginia partners:
ELEVATE is a national network reimagining postsecondary education to deliver real skills, credentials, and economic opportunity
Grounded in JFF’s legacy of postsecondary networks, Engaging Leaders and Empowering Vision that Actively Transforms Education (ELEVATE) provides the infrastructure, community, and vision needed to achieve enduring state-level impact and move us towards JFF’s North…
Skills are the currency of future-focused colleges and universities. Skills-first learning models, like competency-based education, have the power to transform the U.S. education system, strengthening the education-to-work pipeline and expanding career opportunities to millions of…
The Direct Assessment Competency-Based Education: Implementation Blueprint is a hands-on road map for institutional and system leaders designing direct assessment CBE programs that meet the needs of today’s learners. This resource expands upon the 2020…