What’s Up With Adults Earning Online Degrees At Accelerated Rates? Educators Raise Concerns
The president of the New England Commission of Higher Education, Larry Schall, raised concerns saying, "If students are getting a baccalaureate degree in a few months, the commission could certainly inquire, 'Is there integrity to the degree to be awarded?'"
Black News 
Educators are sounding the alarm about adult students earning their online college degrees — which take an average of 4 years to complete — in a matter of weeks, The Washington Post reports.
U.S.-based colleges and universities have experimented with practices to accelerate traditional college programs, referred to as “degree hacking,” in an effort to reduce costs and help students enter the workforce faster. With some degrees being completed in three years, the practice has resulted in students like Christie Williams finishing in three months.
The North Carolina-based human resources executive says she spent only two months gathering credits through web tutorials in 2024 and zoomed through 11 online classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in just four weeks. Later that same year, she earned her master’s degree in just five weeks, bringing the total for both degrees to a little over $4,000. “Why wouldn’t you do that?” Williams asked.
“It’s kind of a no-brainer if you know about it.”
While people like Williams celebrate the phenomenon as affordable, academics and industry leaders have expressed concern that super-accelerated degrees put students at risk of missing out on key information and experiences that four-year students receive. “We want diplomas that mean something,” Marjorie Hass, president of the Council of Independent Colleges, representing over liberal arts colleges and universities, said.
“I would prefer to have some of these degrees called something other than a bachelor’s.”
The president of the New England Commission of Higher Education, Larry Schall, also raised concerns. “If students are getting a baccalaureate degree in a few months, the commission could certainly inquire, ‘Is there integrity to the degree to be awarded?'” he questioned, according to Live Mint.
Williams secured her online degree through a program called YourPace at Presque Isle, which charges $1,800 for each eight-week undergraduate session and $2,450 for each session of graduate degrees. Campus president Raymond Rice said the program targets working adults aged 20 and older, and that demographic seeks a raise or a promotion, not a campus experience. “They literally just need a certificate,” Rice said.
There are no class meetings, group discussions, or weekly deadlines, and students may transfer credits from prior coursework or workplace learning. Such programs have changed lives for students like Serenity James from Atlanta. She finished her bachelor’s degree and MBA from Western Governors University in Georgia in less than a year for just under $9,000. Shortly after, she received a promotion to a higher-paying job. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, honestly,” James said.
Because cheating concerns have intensified, some schools, like Purdue Global, have imposed limits on the number of classes students can take per term, arguing that these restrictions won’t undermine academic integrity or the value of degrees. Even Western Governors students have joined the conversation on platforms like Reddit, pressuring others to stop celebrating how quickly they obtained their degrees.
As YouTube influencers and coaches are charging as little as $5 for how-to guides, students warn that the boasting puts a damper on the school’s reputation.
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