Arkansas State University has announced an accelerated degree program that would help students graduate in three years.
University officials heralded the fast-track program as one that aligns with Gov. Asa Hutchinson's push to enroll and graduate more students with less debt. Areas that have a more educated workforce are more attractive to business and industry, state leaders have said.
University officials also caution that the shorter path to a college degree is not for everyone.
"But there are those who do want that," said Lynita Cooksey, ASU's provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and research.
"If it helps get students on track and accelerates the track, it's still a major accomplishment. To me, it's a major accomplishment when you complete your degree."
ASU's Degree in 3 isn't the only program of its type in the state, and the idea isn't entirely new.
Arkansas Tech University in Russellville offers its bachelor's degree in professional studies on a fast track of 18 months or less for those who enter the program with a minimum of 60 transferable credits. And Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia has a three-year program for biomedical majors, who can start right after graduating from high school.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville offers intersessions, or 10-day mini-terms held between semesters.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock also has accelerated online courses that are eight weeks long, and it now takes all credits from an associate degree in applied science or 40 hours of military credit for its bachelor's degree in applied science.
Across the state, many more high school students also are enrolling in colleges and universities with either concurrent credit or college credit through Advanced Placement exams.
Yet, the state's average of students graduating in four years sat at 25.7 percent, or 4,123, of the 16,032 students entering in the fall of 2011, Arkansas Department of Higher Education data show.
The statewide average of students graduating in six years has risen to 40 percent, or 6,082, of the 15,193 students entering in fall 2009, the data show.
At ASU, the four-year graduation rate was 27.6 percent of the 1,920 students entering in the fall of 2011, or 530 students. Its six-year graduation rate was 34.8 percent of the 2,179 students entering in fall 2009, or 759 students, data show.
"First of all, generally anything that is going to help students complete on time is a positive," said Higher Education Department Director Brett Powell. "If they can complete early, that's a good thing for students, especially if they can reduce cost. It's definitely a positive."
Powell applauded ASU's efforts to help get the state moving toward Hutchinson's goals, which include increasing college credentials for adult Arkansans, as well as for low-income students and members of minority groups, who are seen as less likely to attend and finish college. Hutchinson's other goals include raising graduation rates as a whole and keeping higher education affordable.
ASU's Degree in 3 program recognizes that more students are leaving high school with college credits and takes advantage of that fact, Powell said.
In fall 2015, 58 percent of ASU's 1,586 entering first-year students, or 910, entered the Jonesboro university with some college credits, Cooksey said. The average was about 14 credit hours per student, she said.
So far, about 30 degree programs -- or nearly 40 percent of all the undergraduate degrees offered -- are under the fast-track program, but the university is working to convert more degrees into the three-year format. Students can ask advisers about the accelerated pace option for their degrees.
The format will depend on how many credits a student already has. It could include some, if not all, summer terms.
Cooksey said the fast track doesn't automatically exclude students from having a full college experience, either. Students can still participate in extracurricular activities and join campus organizations, she said.
"To be able to complete in three years takes a lot of coordination and interaction between the student and their adviser," Cooksey said. "Communication is the key here. A lot of it has to do with communication and planning."
The University of Central Arkansas tried about five years ago to convert some of its degree offerings into three-year programs, but didn't have as much success as was hoped, said Steve Runge, executive vice president and provost at the Conway university.
"Getting a degree is pretty rigorous, and we're proud of that," Runge said. "[The three-year plan] didn't change that."
When UCA tried it, Runge said, the plans included summer classes, but didn't include scholarships or other types of financial aid for the extra term. Typically, scholarships and federal financial aid are awarded for fall and spring terms only.
He said the little aid for the summer term could have affected the numbers of students taking the fast track.
Runge added that not a lot of students are motivated enough to learn 12 months of the year, either. The plan works for the eager beaver, the overachiever, he said.
"While we don't have a formalized plan, we have a mechanism to do it," Runge said. "Our big focus that we have is to bring students in as incoming freshmen, have them stay and earn a degree, and to have transfer students earn a degree in a very intentional manner."
The biggest difference between that program at UCA and ASU's program is that the Jonesboro university is allowing students to use institutional scholarship awards during the summer term.
Powell, the Higher Education Department director, said that difference could help make it work.
About four years ago, federal Pell grant awards -- which recipients do not have to pay back -- were available to students for a summer term, and enrollments exploded, he said.
Scholarships have been available to students primarily for the fall and spring semesters for decades, he said.
"It's just one of those things that that's the way it works, and we just continue it," Powell said. "There's not a good reason why aid is not available during the summer."
There may be a larger cost to provide summer aid upfront, but if it saves a semester or two of a student's time in school, Powell said it would be worth it.
To be eligible for ASU's scholarships, students have to take 12 hours during the summer -- if opting for a summer workload -- and 15 hours each during the fall and spring terms. Students who finish undergraduate degrees before the three-year period also can use the scholarships for their first year of graduate school at ASU.
The applications, the award amount and the eligibility requirements are still the same, said Rick Stripling, ASU's vice chancellor for students affairs. The university awards some $11.5 million in institutional scholarships to its students, including 961 first-time freshmen, he said.
Cooksey, ASU's provost, said Degree in 3 will be best for those who know what they want to do and are eager to earn a degree to either join the workforce or go on to graduate school. But it doesn't exclude students who are still exploring their options, she said.
"We're truly trying to let students know [this] is out there, and it's something they can do," Cooksey said. "It's an opportunity for them. You just have to come in and be ready to put your nose to the grindstone and stay the course."
Metro on 10/04/2015