As colleges experiment with 3-year degrees, U of M Rochester leads the charge

On campuses across the country, experts in education are rethinking the length and cost of a college education. The concept is called “College in 3,” and the University of Minnesota Rochester will be the first to try it in the fall.

“The goal is to drive student cost down while driving up the quality of the education,” U of M Rochester Chancellor Lori Carrell said.

They are starting out with a pilot group of about 24 students called “Next Gen Med” who are studying the business of health care. Students will still earn the same amount of credits but the pilot program calls for bundling the classes around a theme in seven-week increments and using the summers. There is still room in the pilot program for additional students.

“They will go seven terms, using summers. There’s an embedded, paid internship,” Carrell added.

Carell says that students can save as much as $26,000 through the program.

“We know that driving down costs needs to be a goal going forward but it can’t just be about whacking off a year,” she said.

A dozen other colleges and universities across the country are participating in the “College in 3” program, which will vary from school to school.