George Fox University is veering from the long-held belief that a bachelor’s degree should take students at least four years to complete.

The private Christian university, based in Newberg, announced Thursday that it will begin to offer 90-credit bachelor’s degrees in seven academic areas as soon as next school year. The quicker degrees will only be available for students enrolled in the university’s online system, known as George Fox Digital.

The accelerated degrees include majors in cybersecurity, data analytics, healthcare administration, psychology and mental health studies, management and organizational leadership, project management and general studies.

University officials say these new offerings are not aimed at recent high school graduates seeking a traditional on-campus college experience. They’re instead geared toward the growing share of older students seeking degrees — people who are not right out of high school and may be juggling work and family life with their own education.

“This is a part of our longstanding mission to reach adult learners, to reach learners in every life circumstance,” George Fox Vice President of Digital Programs and Academic Innovation Brian Doak said. “Our best hope is this will empower students to finish their degree, graduate on time and get employed.”

Doak noted the new degrees are different from other accelerated programs that simply compress the typical 120 credits needed for a bachelor’s degree. The university’s three-year model cuts off 30 credits of electives requirements.

George Fox’s accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, approved the pared-down programs earlier this month.

While George Fox University is the first institution in Oregon to offer accelerated bachelor’s degrees, universities in other parts of the country have started offering them, as well.

Some of the selling points are clear: Employers like that students enter the workforce more quickly and a faster path means students spend less money on a degree. That could be a huge draw for all students, not just older students, as tuition costs at colleges and universities tick up every year.

George Fox officials say students enrolled in the new accelerated online degrees will save a quarter of the cost of the traditional online four-year degree at the university. Program cost for the fall is set at $499 per credit, according to the university.

Even though the three-year degree concept is beginning to get a foothold in higher education, there are still skeptics. Those against it doubt the quality of a fast-paced education and fear a quick degree could water down the college experience.

Over 60 institutions have joined the College-in-3 exchange, a nonprofit organization that advocates for faster bachelor’s degrees and supports schools curious about trying out three-year degrees. George Fox was an early member. Portland State and Pacific universities are also members.

The three-year degree could be a good idea for other Oregon institutions to consider. Many institutions have been looking for ways to attract older students, as the share of traditional aged college students, 18-24 year olds, is expected to decline in the coming years. This phenomenon, known as the “demographic cliff,” will lead to more competition among colleges for students.

“George Fox University has been doing really well in enrollment over the past decade, but these challenges are going to affect us all,” said Doak.

While George Fox may not feel imminent financial pressure, the headwinds facing private colleges in Oregon are significant, with Linfield University being the latest institution to wrestle with budget problems.

And nearly all of the state’s public universities are looking to close budget deficits this year. Southern Oregon University’s financial situation is so severe it required a $15 million bailout from the state just to stay afloat for one more year.

“We support efforts to create more flexible options for working Oregonians to afford and complete their degrees, and move swiftly into promising careers,” Higher Education Coordinating Commission Executive Director Ben Cannon said in a statement, noting that the new accelerated degree should not come at the expense of a bona fide education.

“We also welcome efforts by Oregon public institutions to find ways to increase the affordability, accessibility and value of their programs through strategies that respond to the needs of students today, such as shorter time-to-degree options,” Cannon said.

But it’s still too early to tell if the three-year degree is the innovation that can help stabilize higher education institutions. Students from the first college to have such a degree approved, Idaho’s Ensign College, have yet to graduate.

Officials at George Fox say they will be keeping a close eye on how well students in the accelerated programs are performing both in and outside of the virtual classroom. Doak said the school is required by its accreditor to show these students are meeting all the major learning outcomes of a traditional four-year degree.

“I think it’s good for the university to experiment with this, to explore this, and to really watch how the student outcomes develop and then go from there,” he said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/01/george-fox-university-3-year-bachelors-degree-oregon/