Grace College’s three-year degree program dramatically cuts college costs. Since instituting that and other cost-cutting measures five years ago, enrollment has risen by 44 percent, with undergraduate enrollment increasing 10.5 percent in the last year alone. Grace also offers a four-year path to a dual undergraduate and master’s degree. The following interview is from My College Planning Team (MCPT).
MCPT: Can you explain the basics of what students need to do to graduate in three years?
Pohl: At Grace, students take just three courses per eight-week session (four sessions per academic year) and receive two online summer courses tuition free (with a $225 per course technology fee) that can be completed from home during the summer. All 70-plus majors offered at Grace College can be completed in three years.
MCPT: How many students start on this path as freshman and, of those, how many go on to complete their degree in three years?
Pohl: About half endeavor to complete their degree in three years and nearly 30 percent (29.1 percent) actually do.
MCPT: What percent of students embark on and complete the four-year path to an undergraduate and master’s degree? Are there certain majors that this is more popular for?
Pohl: This is a growing program; currently not quite 10 percent of students complete the blended degree program. Our MBA is the most popular master’s degree.
MCPT: What about AP or other such credits? Can students graduate even sooner with these?
Pohl: AP and dual credit students can transfer in credits to eliminate course requirements at Grace and graduate sooner. Dual credit courses (C or better) and AP courses (4 or 5 final exam score) generally transfer quite easily. We have had a number of students with numerous transfer credits graduate in less than three years.
MCPT: Can a student do 10 hours of work-study per week and still earn a degree in three years?
Pohl: Yes. While every student is different, many students work on campus and our three-year program means that students take just three courses each eight-week session, which allows them to focus on fewer courses. One part of the three-year program is 12 credits of applied learning, so all of our students graduate with real world experience, which sometimes includes work-study positions.
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