GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOWO) — A growing number of Michigan colleges are moving away from the traditional four-year, 120-credit bachelor’s degree, offering three-year programs designed to cut the time and cost required to earn a degree while responding to changing workforce demands. Four Michigan colleges — Davenport University, Northwood University, Adrian College and the College for Creative Studies — now have approval to offer bachelor’s degrees requiring 90 credits instead of the traditional 120. The shift comes as colleges confront rising tuition prices, declining enrollment at many institutions and a shrinking pool of traditional college-age students according to Bridge Michigan.. At Davenport University in Grand Rapids, the new approach is being put into practice this fall with a 90-credit Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Marketing. University officials spent about a year redesigning the marketing program, moving relevant coursework into the first year and reducing the number of required credits while pursuing accreditation for the shorter degree. Davenport President Anthony Anderson said the goal wasn’t simply to remove courses from an existing program. “We believed we could deliver the academic quality and practical experience and the skills employers are expecting in a more focused pathway,” Anderson said. He said students increasingly want straightforward answers about the investment they are making in higher education. “Students are increasingly asking very reasonable questions: How long will this degree take me to get? How much is it going to cost? What will I be able to do with it once I am finished?” Anderson said. “Higher ed really needs to have good answers to those questions. This is one way to answer those questions.” Davenport estimates the three-year program could save a student more than $30,000 in tuition compared with completing a traditional four-year degree, before accounting for financial aid and scholarships. The university currently lists tuition at $31,770 for a student taking 30 credits over two semesters. The shorter degree is being marketed toward working adults and career changers, while also giving traditional students an option to enter the workforce a year earlier. For Davenport, the experiment comes after a significant decline in enrollment. Federal data cited in the reporting shows the university’s enrollment fell from 8,715 students in 2014 to 4,815 in 2024 — a decline of nearly 45%. That compares with an approximately 23% decline in Michigan’s overall postsecondary enrollment during the same period and a national decline of about 2.9%. Robert Kelchen, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, professor who studies higher education, said there is significant interest in getting students through college faster and at a lower cost. He also said employers are pushing accreditors to give colleges more flexibility to offer reduced-credit degrees. “But part of it is there are colleges that see an opportunity to recruit students from elsewhere, from other institutions that are not offering these programs,” Kelchen said. Kelchen said that can benefit both colleges and students if the programs successfully educate graduates and provide value in the labor market, but he cautioned that it is still too early to know how the new programs will perform. The Higher Learning Commission, which accredits degree-granting colleges and universities, established guidelines for reviewing reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees in 2024. Laura Janota, a spokesperson for the commission, said schools seeking approval must demonstrate that their shortened programs maintain the same academic standards as traditional degrees. “Reduced-credit degrees must have the same rigor and quality as traditional degrees (typically 120 hours),” Janota said. Schools also must demonstrate that the programs meet student needs and comply with accreditation standards. Since the guidelines were established, the Higher Learning Commission has approved 77 reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees at 33 institutions, according to Janota. She said the initiative was intended to provide colleges with greater flexibility, help students find more affordable and flexible pathways and encourage innovation in higher education. Michigan’s other programs illustrate how schools are tailoring the concept to different industries. Northwood University in Midland began offering a three-year cybersecurity bachelor’s degree last fall. Northwood developed the program through its participation in the College-in-3 Exchange, a national group focused on redesigning bachelor’s degree programs. David Sanford, Northwood’s division chair and an associate professor of information systems, said faculty members built the program by reconsidering how a bachelor’s education could be delivered while maintaining academic standards. Cybersecurity was a natural area for the approach because employers continue to need workers in a field where technology and threats are changing quickly. Ann-Marie Horcher, an associate professor of cybersecurity at Northwood, said the program emphasizes applied learning, technical competencies and the ability to adapt as technology and professional expectations change. Northwood’s tuition is listed at $17,650 per semester for students taking between 12 and 17 credit hours. A three-year path could therefore save roughly $35,300 compared with four years, before financial aid or scholarships. Adrian College in southeast Michigan is taking a similar approach with two new 90-credit programs: an applied Bachelor of Business Administration in management and an applied Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing. The programs are part of the 2026-27 academic year, although Adrian does not expect students to begin enrolling in them until spring 2027. Federal data indicates students could save more than $20,000 in tuition by completing one of the shortened programs, depending on financial aid. Tony Coumoundouros, Adrian’s dean of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, said the college views the change as part of a broader response to the financial and workforce pressures facing higher education. “Innovation is an important part of Adrian College’s institutional identity,” Coumoundouros said. He said colleges are facing growing pressure to demonstrate value, control costs, reduce the time required to earn credentials and connect academic programs more directly with careers. The College for Creative Studies in Detroit also received approval for a three-year Bachelor of Arts in Business for Creative Industries. The push toward three-year degrees isn’t limited to schools experiencing steep enrollment losses. Federal data shows Northwood’s enrollment declined roughly 23% between 2014 and 2024, but enrollment at the College for Creative Studies fell less than 2% and essentially remained flat. Adrian College went against the broader state trend, increasing enrollment by nearly 8% during that period. That is one reason supporters say the three-year degree model should not be viewed solely as a survival strategy for struggling colleges. The shorter programs are also being promoted as a way to give students more flexibility and get graduates into the workforce sooner. Not everyone in higher education agrees with the trend. Critics argue that reducing the amount of time and coursework required for a bachelor’s degree could come at the expense of a broader education. In a June statement addressing similar three-year degree efforts in Massachusetts, American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten argued that the approach could “threaten academic integrity” by prioritizing speed over a comprehensive education. “A bachelor’s degree should both prepare students for the workforce and provide them with deep learning, broad intellectual development, and sustained engagement with faculty and peers — not simply the fastest possible route to the labor market,” Wolfson and Weingarten said. They also argued that reducing or compressing curricula could weaken students’ development in areas such as critical thinking, communication, scientific literacy and civic understanding. Students, meanwhile, can see advantages on both sides. Gwendolyn Spigarelli, a Davenport junior currently enrolled in the traditional marketing program, said her courses have prepared her for the career she wants. But she also acknowledged the appeal of entering the workforce a year earlier. “I would have loved that opportunity, but I’m also OK with taking it slow,” Spigarelli said. “But I do think that it’s a great opportunity for students, a great opportunity for anybody looking to take a year off (their bachelor’s degree) and get into their field right away.” Another model is already being used by Concordia University, which offers accelerated education programs requiring the traditional 120 credits but allows students to complete those credits in three years by attending year-round. Jill VanSolkema graduated from Concordia’s accelerated online education program in May after starting in 2024 and taking classes year-round while working full time. At 42, she decided it was time to pursue a longtime goal of becoming a teacher. VanSolkema had worked in several fields, including medical transcription, school transportation and as a paraprofessional in a classroom. The accelerated program allowed her to earn the credential without spending another four years in school. She believes shorter bachelor’s programs could be particularly useful for adults who have already spent years working and are looking for a career change. “The sooner you get the degree, the better,” said VanSolkema, who is now 45. Concordia has seven accelerated education programs that maintain the 120-credit requirement while compressing the timeline to three years. University officials are also exploring the possibility of offering 90-credit bachelor’s degrees. The debate ultimately centers on what a bachelor’s degree is supposed to provide. Supporters of the three-year model argue that colleges can eliminate unnecessary duplication, focus coursework on demonstrated learning outcomes and align programs more closely with employers without sacrificing academic quality. Critics worry that fewer credits and less time on campus could reduce opportunities for students to explore subjects outside their majors, build relationships with faculty and peers, and develop broader intellectual skills. The Higher Learning Commission’s approval process is intended to address that concern by requiring reduced-credit degrees to meet the same standards for rigor and quality as traditional programs. For Michigan students, the result is a higher education landscape that is beginning to offer another option: a bachelor’s degree that takes three years rather than four, with potentially tens of thousands of dollars in tuition savings. Whether that model becomes a lasting alternative to the traditional bachelor’s degree will depend on how students respond, how employers value the credentials and whether colleges can demonstrate that shorter really can mean more efficient — without meaning less educationally valuable. The post Michigan Colleges Roll Out 3-Year Bachelor’s Degrees to Cut Tuition Costs appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less