In an effort to mitigate rising college costs and student debt, an increasing number of schools have introduced three-year bachelor’s degrees.
Purdue University, the University of Iowa and the University of South Carolina are among schools that are now offering expedited degree programs, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, it is not yet clear how popular the programs will be.
To date, many of the abbreviated programs seem to turn off students who, though eager to reduce their debt-levels, also want to enjoy the experience of traditional college life, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In addition, some critics believe that the shorter programs will be too watered down, while others believe that they distract from what should be the primary goal of colleges: getting students through the program in four years.
Recent statistics show that fewer than four in 10 first-time, full-time students who entered school in 2006 graduated in four years; 54.9 percent did so in five years and 59.2 percent did so within six, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
