Texas should establish three-year bachelor’s degree options, Gov. Greg Abbott says

Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Wednesday to develop pathways for students to earn bachelor's degrees in three years, a move that could reshape how Texas Tech and other state universities structure their programs.

Under the proposal, students would complete roughly 90 credit hours instead of the standard 120, cutting a full year of tuition, fees, and living costs. Abbott framed the directive around two goals: lowering the price tag of a degree and pushing graduates into the workforce faster. The coordinating board must now establish a working group to develop recommendations on how to actually make that happen.

For students in Lubbock, where Texas Tech enrollment tops 40,000, this could eventually mean a cheaper path to a diploma without picking up student debt for that fourth year. High-demand fields are the stated focus, though the source material does not specify which programs would qualify first. Nothing changes for current students right now.

Abbott is seeking reelection, and the timing of the announcement puts workforce and affordability concerns front and center in his campaign messaging.

Texas currently requires 120 credit hours for most bachelor's degrees, a standard that dates back decades and has rarely been seriously challenged at the state level.