Published: November 5, 2009

College students say they are still suffering due to increasing tuition costs and the struggling economy, prompting some universities to introduce three-year bachelor degree programs. Fordham University, according to Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), has no plans to institute such a program, though some accelerated track courses exist.

The College Board’s 2009-2010 press release of college pricing trends showed that  the cost of private, four-year nonprofit colleges has increased an average of 4.4 percent, to an average cost of $26,273. Statistics provided by the Fordham University department of financial services indicate an increase of 4.75 percent, to $35,825 ($35,350 for entrants prior to the 2006-2007 academic year).

According to Angela VanDekker, assistant vice president of student financial services, Fordham University students graduate with an average debt of $31,300, of which $18,131 comes from federal loans. That debt is accumulated over an average time period of three years and nine months.

To counteract the increase in tuition, Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. and Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. both launched  three-year programs this fall, joining the ranks of schools such as Judson College in Marion, Ala., Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.

“I think a lot of these ideas are very poorly thought out. Education takes time,” Grimes said. “All too often, there is not a sufficient break between high school and college, in terms of a new transition to education. I keep trying to point out to people that you had to go to high school… You don’t have to be in college. The only reason you should be here is that you want to be here because you want to learn. And it takes time to learn. If you could take 32 credits in a semester, the brain still can only hold so much. You need time to think and to have insight.”

Sophomore Tara Aquino, FCLC ’12 said that she disagrees, “I would totally do [a three-year program]. You save one year. What’s important to me is saving money and having time,” she said. “[Socially,] I don’t think the one year makes a difference. You pretty much establish all your friendships in the first two years, and after college its still up to you to maintain those friendships.”

A popular option to reduce the number of classes necessary for graduation at Fordham is the option of replacing select core credits with qualifying Advanced Placement credits earned before college.

In addition, Fordham does allow students to pursue a degree at a more rapid pace through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences early admission master’s program, of which Grimes said, “One of the things I’m always looking for is not so much ways to hasten an education, but a way to enhance an education. I think the accelerated master’s degrees are a great idea. Not because it saves you time or money, but because by senior year, if you’ve been doing [the work], you’re ready for these courses. You’re ready to not just slide through senior year with courses you’re comfortable with.” Fordham’s early admission program allows qualifying students to take two credits each semester of their senior year that will count for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Fordham also offers a program through the Graduate School of Social Work, in which students can obtain a master’s degree in one year as opposed to two. In addition, Fordham Law School offers an advanced program for undergraduate juniors. Through this program, students that have completed their required courses with a high enough GPA and LSAT scores can begin to study law in their senior year, which will count toward their first year of law school.

Angelina Meloi, FCLC ’12, said that she believes there is a potential for an “overload” with accelerated programs.  “I’m a natural science major, so I would have to make sure that I’d be able to spend a good amount of time studying all of the different science courses, so that I would know them as well as I should.”  Meloi said that while saving money would be “amazing,” she still believes there is value in Fordham’s evenly spaced core curriculum. “Even though I’m like, ‘Why am I taking Invitation to Theater,’ I still think it’s good to be exposed to all those different things. It’s picked to show you what college is for: to see if you really like what you’re doing, and to expand your horizons.”

The three-year programs are just some of the reforms that some colleges are considering. In a recent Newsweek article, former George Washington University president Stephen J. Trachtenberg suggested  that keeping colleges academically open year-round could offer students opportunities to expedite their degrees, and would cut expenses as well. Grimes said that he disagrees with this reform as well. “Your brain needs a break… I think for college students, summers are an incredibly valuable opportunity. They’re probably the freest moments of your life,” he said.