Some Grad Schools Open to Admitting 3-Year Degree Holders

"As accreditors and state higher education leaders evaluate whether to allow institutions to launch three-year programs, one of their top concerns has been whether employers and graduate schools will accept the shortened degrees. Madeleine Green, the executive director of College-in-3, said she believes this report will serve as evidence to institutions, accreditors and state leaders that graduate programs are open to considering these degrees."

"The majority of respondents said their policies currently preclude reduced-credit degrees, but several said they could see that changing in the future, especially as three-year degrees become more common. Two of the interviewees reported that their institutions had changed their policies to accommodate international three-year degrees, which are common in countries like the U.K."

""Because College-in-3 is such a young movement, and we don't have evidence of what happens to the graduates ... this is suggestive evidence," she said. "We plan to disseminate this, share it with the states, share it with our"

College-in-3 compiled evidence by interviewing ten graduate admissions leaders from varied institutions about applicants with bachelor's degrees under the traditional 120 credits. Most respondents reported existing policies that preclude reduced-credit degrees, while several indicated potential policy change as three-year degrees become more common. Two interviewees said their institutions already adjusted policies to accept international three-year degrees. Some institutions maintain exception mechanisms, often invoked at a faculty member's request. Accreditors and state higher education leaders remain concerned about employer and graduate-school acceptance, and College-in-3 plans to share these findings with states and decision-makers.

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