Gov. Greg Abbott calls for three-year bachelor's degree pathways in Texas - CBS News

Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop a framework that would let students earn certain bachelor's degrees in three years instead of four, a move that would directly affect Texas Tech and every other public university in the state.

The board has until Dec. 31 to submit its recommendations, including a plan to stand up a working group made up of representatives from public colleges and universities, employers, accrediting organizations, and faculty leadership. That group will determine which degree programs and high-demand occupations are the best fit for an accelerated pathway.

The working group will also weigh student interest, workforce needs, accreditation requirements, and any legal or administrative changes needed to make the programs work statewide. Not every major would qualify. The framework targets specific fields tied to what employers actually need, so the list of eligible degrees will matter a lot.

For students here, a three-year degree could mean one less year of tuition, housing, and living costs at a time when college affordability is a pressure point across the country. For Tech, it raises real questions about how accelerated timelines interact with financial aid structures, campus housing revenue, and course sequencing that departments have built over decades.

Texas currently has more than 150 public colleges and universities that would fall under any statewide framework the board recommends.