Local families weighing college costs have a new option from a familiar name: Pacific University will offer three-year bachelor's degrees starting in fall 2027, cutting one full year of tuition, fees, and housing from the bill.

The programs in chemistry, computer science, and sustainability and adaptation are the first in-person three-year bachelor's degrees offered at any Oregon university, according to the Hillsboro News Times. Pacific, which operates a health professions campus in downtown Hillsboro, serves roughly 3,400 students across its Forest Grove and Hillsboro locations.

How it works

Students in the three-year tracks will complete 96 credits over three years at 32 credits per year, a 25% reduction from the 124 credits required for a traditional four-year degree. The cut comes from fewer general education electives, not from major coursework. Three-year students take the same classes within their majors as four-year peers.

The savings are significant. Pacific's current sticker price runs $58,348 per year in tuition and fees, according to U.S. News & World Report, though 77% of first-year students receive need-based financial aid and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $33,930. Eliminating a fourth year could save students tens of thousands of dollars, depending on their aid package and housing choices.

Students in the three-year programs will have the same access to financial aid, on-campus housing, and extracurricular activities as four-year students, Pacific said.

The programs have already been approved by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the regional accrediting body.

More programs may follow

Brian Jackson, Pacific's associate dean of curriculum and student success, told The Oregonian on July 29 that when the idea was first presented to faculty in fall 2025, about 10 to 12 departments expressed interest in adopting the model.

The approach has critics. The American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers released a joint statement in June arguing that compressing degree requirements risks narrowing students' education at a time when society needs graduates with stronger critical thinking and civic understanding.

Merger connection

The three-year degrees arrive as Pacific prepares to merge with Willamette University to form Oregon's largest private university, provisionally named the University of the Northwest. Both boards approved the deal in June, signed it in early July, and expect the legal combination in early 2027.

The combined institution will serve more than 6,000 students across campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Salem, and Portland.

As we reported July 24, the merger is expected to expand career services and academic pathways at the Hillsboro health campus.

Pacific has not yet announced application or enrollment deadlines for the fall 2027 three-year programs.