Time is money, as most students will learn after they graduate.
UNC Greensboro is now giving students the opportunity to learn that economic principle a few years early. UNC-G will be the first campus in the state system to offer three-year bachelors' degrees. And students who pursue that degree will find that it makes a big financial difference when compared to the traditional four-year program.
Under the program, the school will accelerate studies only for what it is calling "highly motivated students." They'll be expected to enter the university with 12 credit hours, either through Advanced Placement from high school or community-college work.
Students will then take enough extra classes, either during the fall and spring semesters or the summer, to reach the graduation requirement a full year early.
At today's prices, the savings should be substantial. UNC-G says students will save $8,000 in tuition, living expenses and fees. There should also be additional savings associated with travel and incidental student expenses. The university says the total cost of a bachelor's degree will be reduced by 22 percent.
What students save in education costs is not the complete story, however. Students who graduate in three years will enter the work force one year early and have one extra year, in their careers, during which they presumably will receive a professional salary.
If these are truly the most highly motivated students, we suspect they will also be among the most highly motivated job candidates.
Three-year programs benefit more than the students. They also benefit the UNC system, which is struggling to handle the state's growing population of college-ready students. By moving students through school in three years, rather than four, the university frees up a few spaces for other students.
But three-year programs won't involve enough students to make a significant difference in terms of freeing university space. Rather, the system will be best served, in that pursuit, by implementing and enforcing standards that move the great majority of students to complete their degrees in four years.
Today, too many students hang around our public universities for an extra semester, year or more. When they do so, they take a seat that another, younger student could use. Efforts are under way on the UNC campuses to keep students on schedule for four-year graduation.
These efforts will make the greatest difference when it comes to establishing an efficient, system-wide flow of students through our schools.
That will be good for students and good for taxpayers. When students use their time efficiently, everyone saves money.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement